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tv   Public Affairs  CSPAN  October 30, 2012 1:00pm-5:00pm EDT

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got to the budget surplus. i did not vote for the war or the tax cuts for the rich. with the giveaways to the drug companies that blow a hole in the budget. we had the biggest budget surplus to the biggest budget deficit in 2008. >> so you believe the senate is doing their job? >> i think that they did the right thing in the budget control act. this includes revenue and going after these tax loopholes. the politicians who signed the pledge to the lobbyists grover norquist -- >> i will give you 60 seconds to respond. >> sitting around your kitchen
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tables you can't go three months without managing your finances. you can't go three weeks without managing the budget for your small business. but he and other career politicians have gone three years since they passed a budget. he talks about the budget control act. if you are watching this, think for a second. do you have the budget control act in your small business? this is washington speak. we manage our small business with the budget. but these politicians to think that they can live by different set of rules. after you've been there 20 years i think this is what happens. i support the proposal this is, no budget, no pay. >> this is a good sound bite but it doesn't get us to where we need to be. we passed the budget that does to the biggest budget surplus in american history. because of grover norquist, and
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george said that we will never be able, if republicans keep citing his pledge, we will never get to a balanced budget. he says not only can you increase revenues, asking the wealthiest taxpayers to pay more, you cannot stop the outsourcing of jobs by taking away the tax break that corporations get when they move jobs. you can talk about this but you have to have a balanced approach. >> but you have not passed the budget -- you can do this on a partisan vote. the house passed a partisan -- a partisan budget. why didn't harry reid do this? >> the budget control and cut $2 trillion from spending. we cannot get closer to a balanced budget because of the lobbyist pledge.
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this said no tax increase for upper-income people, -- >> did not want to pass this with only democratic votes? >> this is not the issue. you have to have the balanced approach with revenues and tax loopholes. this was $2 trillion in cuts. this is not a game without the budget control act. >> the next question is to you, and we will continue the conversation. >> you have portrayed herself as an outsider and say that you will not be holding to anyone, the lobbyists or member of your own party, but you signed the pledge by grover norquist, who is a registered lobbyist. not ever raise taxes. how is this that you consign
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this pledge, and say that you are not beholden to someone who was an insider in washington? >> i am proud to stand up for lower taxes. i don't believe we can tax our way to prosperity. i will fight tooth and nail to lower taxes for small businesses and job creators and middle-class families. compare that to washington and shared brown, in washington he has raised taxes 36 times. 36 times during his 20 years in washington. he did not pay his taxes once, he did not pay his taxes three times. he is raising your taxes and is not paying his own. when he was asked why he did not pay his taxes, his answer was that he forgot. maybe the understand that once or twice but three times, you forgot to pay your taxes?
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you are on the banking committee that deals with mortgages. if you are not paying your own taxes. the reason congress has a 10% approval rating, is because they think they can live by one set of rules. it is so proud to stand up for lower taxes. i helped pass the first property tax rollback in the history of the county. >> this is simply not true, again, but i have come to expect that. he did not answer the question about grover norquist. it is not just talking about middle-class taxes. he has a fast against raising taxes on hedge fund operators, who pays more than mitt romney -- coupes -- who paid
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significantly lower tax then it an mitt romney does and most of us to. he says you cannot raise taxes on many millionaires were millionaires. the worst part is, i know the oil industry is your friend, but you can't close tax loopholes for the oil industry, or these companies that outsource jobs. you are be holden, not that your chances of going to the senate are that high, but you are be holden to so many interest groups before you even -- before the election, even. all of these people who want to keep washington going the way that it is. >> when we started this campaign, our chances of going to washington were relatively slim and we were down 17 points. the recent poll had a sorry but up one. . -- had us up one point. one reason is because there is
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such a mix of people who are sick of the washington speak, to live by one set of rules. i will live by the same rules that all of you have to live by. putting food on the table for your families every day. >> the front page of this morning's wall street journal had a chief executives -- had 80 chief executives, including macy's coming out to say, some taxes have to go up. is there any circumstance we will vote for a tax increase. >> i believe we should lower taxes across the board -- lowering taxes for middle-class and job creators, and small businesses. i believe the tax code is completely broken with large, multinational corporations with 50,000 page tax returns to pay zero taxes. this is unfair to the middle- class and small businesses. in washington i will raise that -- i will lower taxes and not
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raise taxes. >> so if there was a big deficit deal, nothing? >> when i go to washington i will lower taxes. we will grow our way out of this problem. lower class is for small businesses and the middle-class. >> senator, do you believe that you can lower rates and raise revenue? is this realistic? lowering rates, which is what some symbols -- simpson-bowles tried to do? but raise more revenue, is that really possible? >> this will have to be a balanced plan, and we will have to put pressure on the candidates who signed the pledge to grover norquist. the $2 trillion that we cut with the budget control act, this means closing tax loopholes, this means medicare saving money by negotiating drug
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prices directly. rea importation with canada. -- reimportation with canada. there are a lot of ways to save billions of dollars. we can say that we will always beat for lower taxes. we have cut taxes many times and i will continue to do that. but this will have to be a balance plan. >> i want to go back to something that mr. mandel was talking about. you attack them -- and now you are exceeding president obama's agenda 96% of the time. is this one-sided? >> what i have done is taken on the president of my own party when i think he is wrong. i disagreed with president clinton as a freshman member of the house on the north american
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free trade agreement. it was not easy opposing the president of the united states as a freshman member of congress and i have done this with barack obama on trade issues. i have done this with banking issues. on too big to fail, my legislation to break up the sixth largest trillion-dollar banks in this country, we lost on that but the support for this is growing. i have never had problems taking on the president of my own party. and i will not. >> you have 60 seconds. >> rather than listening to the rhetoric, look at the record. he has voted 96% of the time with his party. when i was a city councilman in lyndhurst, ohio, i introduced the first property-tax rollback in the history of our city.
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we give tax relief to senior citizens and working families. i worked in a bipartisan fashion -- and we reconstructed the oversight to the workers' compensation investment fund. i worked in a bipartisan way to pass down the budget and try to keep young people in ohio. identified the exports with ohio and worked in a bipartisan way to manage the finances in the state of ohio where we have the highest rating on our bonds and investment and voluntarily cut our budget two years in a row. >> i would emphasize that he voted with his own party -- he voted with them 96% of the time. the only time he doesn't is if the interest group does not have a better offer.
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he voted against his leadership to satisfy the pay lenders and raised a lot of money. there is nothing in his elektra -- in his electoral records that would show that he ever stands up to his political party on anything significant. >> is there one big area of disagreement you have with mitt romney, mandel? >> it is on defense spending. a lot of republicans say that you cannot cut military spending. i will do everything i can to be vigilant against the war with radical islam, but we don't need these bases throughout europe. we are not fighting the cold war anymore. we should trim down the bases we have in europe and bring home the young men and women. use that money to fund medicare. >> colleen has the next
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question. >> he said that you sign legislation to ban abortion without exception. what is your opinion on cases like rape and? >> -- incest? >> i do support the life of the mother and this is an issue that is a very divisive issue, and this is an issue where people are very passionate on both sides. and i respect that. i am pro-life but i understand that people have different positions. but there are areas of common ground. one of the areas where we can work together, is on the better loss for adoption. -- better laws for adoption.
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we should encourage adoption in the united states of america with federal laws here in the state capital. and taxpayer funding of abortion -- our tax dollars should be used to fund medicare, and social security. and funding the military. they should not be used to fund abortions. sherrod brown is an extremist on the issue and supports using your tax dollars to fund abortion. we should not support abortions in the ninth month of pregnancy. but sheriff brown has an extremist position. can you explain to the people watching at home tonight, why do you support abortion in the ninth month of pregnancy. >> i have never heard anyone say that to me, judge. unlike judge mandel, -- josh. unlike josh mandel, my opponent has an extreme position and
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signed the exceptions for anything, rape and incest. i trust women to make decisions about their own health care. there are tens of thousands of women who get pregnant from rapes every year. it may not be something we want to acknowledged in the end, i will trust of high women to make -- i will trust ohio women to make their health care decisions. >> this is an area where we should find common ground and work together on better adoption laws, and stop at taxpayer funding of abortion and stop abortion in the ninth month of pregnancy. he is an extremist and out of touch with mainstream ohio. >> i have a quick question for both of you. mr. mandel, if they send obama to the white house and you to
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the senate, and to you, sen. brown, of romney carries the state but sends you to washington, what do you take away? >> i believe that mitt romney will be the next president but if president obama is reelected, i will work with them and i will work to move the ball down the field economically for the state and our country. if the voters of the state of ohio go in that direction, they don't want a rubber-stamp, the votes for his party 98% of the time. >> i think if this happens, people sitting back and say, sharon brown -- sherrod brown is his own guy. he fights for his district and i would guess -- it could be a
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mixed message. but of course i'd work with mitt romney. i can recite a dozen cases we have made this way. >> the coin toss -- i think i got this right, mr. mandel? >> i was inspired to join the marine corps by my grandparents. one of my grandfathers was liberated by allied troops and the other served in the air force. we can debate like this and we can disagree but when the debate is over. we will shake hands. there will not be any punches thrown or shots fired, nobody will be in jail. but in places throughout the world, that is what happens.
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the rock the world, people who disagree from different political parties are killed if they lose the election or are thrown in jail, where their kids get kidnapped. the great thing we have in this country as we can disagree and debate in an energetic way but once the election is over, there is a peaceful transfer of power. when i raised my right hand to join the marine corps i raised my hand for the of to defend that freedom, and there has been a lot of accusations and claims going both ways, i would like to thank to people who are watching here today. one of them is connie schulz, the wife of sen. brown, and my wife. she has been loving and alana, i can't thank you enough. my commitment to the people of this in ohio is that you will have no stronger fighter in washington than josh mandel.
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i will not stand up for republicans or democrats or lobbyists, i will stand up for your jobs. if sherrod brown was the answer, our problems would be solved long ago. to change washington, we have to change who we send there. my job is doing everything i can to fight for your job. >> thank you for your kind words about my wife. i wish your wife well. my wife is the audience with my daughter, elizabeth, emily -- 36 weeks pregnant with her first child. in the last hour, you've heard a lot of empty slogans and
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poll-tested soundbites. i am more interested in getting things done. i have all the state newspapers endorsing me, and the fraternal order of police. i am proud of that. but it is about who stands and fights for the middle class. on medicare -- i think this is an earned benefit people make their entire work lives. they expect it to be there when we retire. he wants to voucher this and turn it over, for something as important as stafford loans. if it is the communitycollege -- thos kids can get an education on the china currency bill. the biggest jobs bill to pass
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the senate -- josh mandel doesn't support this. and the auto rescue. the contrast is this clear. mandel supports tax cuts for the richest people, in the hopes some trickles down, and i support focusing on the middle class, and community colleges, auto rescue. >> that concludes our debate. i want to thank our candidates. with the two candidats and the aarp. thank you for watching and listening. your job is not done. you have until nov. 6 to cast your vote. i am chuck todd with nbc news. goodnight.
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>> we have more campaign 2012 .ebate coming up ver see some of a to the damage due to hurricane sandy. crews are restoring power to the hundreds of thousands affected by the storm. there are downed trees and flooded roads that are still a part of the problem. there's still no word yet on a new address tomorrow. we're told that the metric system will be back in business -- the metro system will be back in business early this afternoon, around 2:00 p.m. for now, the president has set aside the campus -- he has cancelled scheduled appearances in ohio tomorrow.
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today, former president clinton will be in minneapolis. mitt romney has toned down his campaign for the short term. earlier today, he attended a storm relief event in ohio. his running mate is supporting relief workers in wisconsin today. this is mitt romney's campaign event earlier today. >> thank you, you guys. a lot of people are hurting this morning. there were hurting last night. the storm goes on. i have had a chance to speak with some of the governors in the affected areas and they have talked about a lot of people having a hard time. i appreciate the fact that
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people right here in dayton got up this morning -- someone to the grocery store and purchase some things that these families will need. i appreciate your generosity. it is part of the american spirit, the american way to give to people who are in need. and your generosity this morning touches my heart. and i appreciate what you have done. we have a lot of goods here and i know there are more coming in. we will box things up in just a minute and put them on trucks and send them into new jersey, which is a sight that we have identified to distribute things to people who need them. we will not be able to solve all the problems with our effort this morning. there will be a lot of people still looking for goods. one of the things i have learned in life is that you make a difference you can. and you cannot always solve all the problems yourself, but you can make the difference in the life of water to people as a
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result the water to people taking an effort. i remember, once, we had a football game at our high school and the football field was covered with all sorts are rubbish and paper goods from people who had had a big celebration there at the game. there is a group of us that was assigned to clean it up. i thought, how are we going to clean up all the mess on this football field. there were just a few of us. and the person responsible for organizing the effort said just line up on the yard lines. you go between the goal line and a 10 yard line and the next person between 10 and 20 and just walk through and do your lane. if your body cleans their lane, we will be able to get the job done. so today, we are cleaning one lane, if you will. we are able to provide goods for some people -- [cheers and applause] i have to tell you that i am proud of you here in dayton for
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showing up in such large numbers to help out this way. i remember in my state of massachusetts, when katrina hit and some of the people who were evacuated from new orleans were brought to massachusetts, we gathered them at a military base on cape cod. they thought there are going to houston, by the way. [laughter] and when the airplane said, no, we're going to boston, there were not very happy because it is colder and boston. so the king to give cod. we told our citizens that there were people coming from new orleans who were affected by the hurricane and they might need help. and you know what? there were cars lined up. people dropping of all sorts of goods of all kinds, some things that were temporary like food, but also of tv sets and) it was amazing to see the turn out. it is part of the american way.
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we have people right now that are having some hard times because of this terrible hurricane and the storm that followed it. and your generosity will make a difference. i want to thank you. we have some work to do. but to make this an enjoyable were sitting, we have asked a great entertainer, randy owen of alabama, to be here. [applause] he is an extraordinary guy. he will probably tell you a story about a store -- a tornado actually, that if his county in alabama and describe what it is that he is here. we appreciate effect that he has agreed to entertain and greet the people who are here this morning. thank you for your generosity. if you have a little extra, if you have more canned goods, bring them along to our victory centers that are open. but also, if you can write a
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check to american red cross, that is welcome as well. we're looking for all the help for the families in need that we can get. i will go to work here at the table and get things sorted and boxed up and loaded on the truck. for the rest of you, enjoy the concert that randy will put on and think is so very much. i love you and appreciate you. thank you very much. [cheers and applause]
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>> hello, everybody and ohio! put your hands together, everybody! >> mitt romney earlier today supporting hurricane sandy relief efforts in ohio. the romney campaign is holding a political rally in the morning, iowa -- in des moines, iowa. his wife will stand in for him. ♪ >> i would like to rescue a question similar to that asked to the vice-presidential candidates. as a catholic, has your view on abortion been shaped? >> i'm not catholic. i am episcopalian.
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>> your husband is catholic. >> my husband is a catholic. i am an episcopalian. my children are catholic. we have raised their children as catholics. but i would be happy to talk about my view on abortion. my view on abortion is that it should be safe and rare. >> this is a valid point that is constructive and is a difference between us. we have babies in america and in iowa that are being aborted simply because they are little baby girls because the mother wants a boy instead of a girl. we have evidence of that. it is coming in from the asian community as well. we have legislation that prohibits sex-selective abortion. she thinks that it is ridiculous to talk about it and that it does not matter in iowa. i think it matters. >> find a key house and senators
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races across the country on c- span, c-span radio and c- span.org/campaign2012. we have more campaign 22 of coverage with an illinois house debate. bobby schilling faced off gross --h sherry boost sherry bustos. this is just under an hour. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> thank you for joining us.
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we have a live studio audience this evening. i have asked them to refrain from out word of expression except when i introduced the candidates, which will do now. first, sherry bustos. and the incumbent is a republican, bobby schilling. [applause] the format for tonight's debate requires 75 seconds for opening statements. then there will have 75 seconds to answer the initial question and then a to 30 seconds for rebuttal. then closing statements will also be 75 seconds in length. we have people from the illinois lead of women voters here this evening to time the candidates.
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i am your moderator for tonight. i will be asking the court -- and those asking questions of our candidates will be herb tricks. have solicited questions through the internet from the public. as in those questions will be vy o'donnell. we thank you for being here this evening. we ask the candidas to support their statement would be to go where appropriate. by an earlier flip the coin, we determined that of the schilling will begin with the opening statement first. >> thank you thank you to all of
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the viewers were turning in and watching this debate. i also want to thank the "registers are." my wife christy and i have been married for 26 years. we have 10 children. for the last 16 years, we have
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run our small business. a couple years ago, i decided i would take a look at running for office. i did not like the country are dark -- the direction our country was heading i felt the only way to make a difference was to throw my hat in the ring. we have led by example. we cut our budget by $150,000 with this congress. i returned money back to the taxpayers. i rejected the congressional pension and bought my own health care to washington and in looking forward to a nice debate tonight. >> thank you. now, cheri bustos. >> i am a lifelong illinois resident. the daughter of a social worker and the public servant. the granddaughter of a farmer and a nurse. my husband and i were taught from a young age the importance of making a difference in giving back. we have done that you are life. my husband is in law enforcement. for many years i was an investigative reporter and fought public corruption. i spent the last 10 years of my career in health care, making sure it is accessible and we offer quality health care. this election will get down to parties i see this is a -- will
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get down to priorities and i see this as a different set of priorities from where my husband and i come from and from what congressman schilling stands for. i pledge to give it my all and work on behalf of the middle class families that have been under attack by the last two years of congressman schilling's tenure. we have to make sure progress are there for students to go to college and the balance the budget with the right parity. not on the backs of the middle class but with the middle-class in mind. thank you very much. >> now it is time for questions from the panelists. >> welcome to both candidates tonight. congressman schilling, you are from colona and ms. bustos, from east moline. those cities are 7 miles apart yet members will have to represent a district that is over 85 miles wide. how would each of you best represent people in peoria and
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rockford, and given the physical size of the district? >> excellent question. if you look at the gerrymandering of the district i currently represent, this is something we need to make some adjustments to. and fit the mapping system. we need a fair map. it is ridiculous what the politicians do, pitting the voter vs the voter picking the politician. i have been to this week and 37 -- i have been to this region 37 times to date. i have gone out and made relationships with the mayors -- mayor dave. it's called hit the ground running. we have to go out and tour facilities. i have gone to the heartland clinics in town. this is about getting to know people and seeing what is important to them. i think we have quite a bit of
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that throughout our time that we have been coming back and forth to the area. a lot of things they're doing in peoria are being used in rockford and vice versa. so tied in those areas together and making sure we're getting the best bang for our buck. >> the same question to request that is a good question. we do get out of the travel of around the district. because it is vast. it has 14 counties all together. i said from the start of our campaign that should i be elected, i will open an office and into the quad cities in peoria and rockford. i will look into the feasibility of a satellite office for the rural areas. they will reflect the makeup of
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the communities. and that is very important. constituent services are among -- they have to be among congressman's top priorities. make sure we listen to residents and with their concerns are and be responsive to that. another part i think is important for serving the entire district is we have said that with in the first 90 days of being elected, we will host an economic summit. this will be done annually but i see that as helping to set the foundation for what we need to accomplish for job creation, making sure we're serving artistic as best possible. -- serving our district as best as possible. >> we allow up to 30 seconds for rebuttal. congressman. >> we will have an office here in peoria, one in rockford and the illinois quad cities. we will have a rover, somebody that has specific days where we go to the smaller counties making sure they're getting proper representation. constituent services is the key to any office out there. that is one of the things we pride ourselves on. but the same 30 seconds for
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rebuttal. >> thank you. i see that is very hands-on. making sure that you have accessible office locations, making sure you have hours that reflect the community's needs. a lot of hands on individual interaction. i will throw one thing out there quickly and we can get back to this. congressman schilling is number one in congress for spending on taxpayer funded mail. that is how he is chosen to spend his funding. it is something i would pledge not to spend. almost half million dollars in tax payer funded mail. to communicate with constituents. >> let the candidates will respond in an alternating fashion to the questions. ms. bustos will answer the next question first. >> everyone is talking about cutting federal spending and reducing the federal deficit. i will let for both of you to talk about programs are spending in the 17th district
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that he would be willing to sacrifice and help lower the federal deficit. >> the budget is the defining issue. i see it as getting down to priorities. we obviously have a budget problem. we have to balance our budget. how are we going to do it? on the backs of seniors? as my opponent opposes, where it -- as my opponent proposes, where it would charge those of medicare and extra six to $400 a year. i talk to people all over this district. they cannot afford an additional $6,400 out of pocket. are we going to do it on the backs of workers such as those upton to freeport to jobs are getting set to china? because there are tax incentives to do that?
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or are we going to continue to give tax breaks for big oil at the expense of middle class families that are going to be asked to pay $2,000 more under the ryan budget plan that my opponent supports. $100 billion and a savings every year. the report is sitting on a shelf. it has a proposal such as merging the small business administration with the department of commerce. it has proposals like getting rid of redundant services. for instance, job training programs. there are 44 redundant job training programs that we can do away with. >> the same questions with specifics justice, schilling. >> i believe you start with the top and lead by example. my opponent talks about the mail as i said. -- the mailers that i sent. i invested less than 50 cents per constituent in the district. we spent money communicating
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with our constituents but at the same time, we spent less on office is that what my predecessor is spent on 1. my payroll was about $40,000 less than my predecessor. one of the cuts, asset and the agricultural committee. -- one of the cuts, i sit on the ag committee. one of the cuts saved $16 billion. what the cut does, i believe he did not take anything away from those that chilly needed if you get a dollar's worth of heating assistance, you automatically qualify for $200 on us in nutrition, food stamps. we said we would have folks allowed an application to capture those abusing the system. somebody that has won the lottery, we get those folks of the system. >> thank you.
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>> they ask for specifics. i am happy to address those. the other thing we need from my hat to the balanced approach. part of that is the undue burden that we're putting on the middle-class. the tax breaks for those making over $1 million, they need to go away. this is about middle-class working families. this district, the 17th congressional district, is made up of working men and women. that is who we have to make sure we are working hard for. >> i want to rebut the medicare scare. for 30 years, politicians have been scaring seniors, telling them medicare will be ended in
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evil lose your social security. everyone i talk to so far still has the medicare and social security. the $6,400 amount that might opponent has put out there has already been debunked by the wall street journal. with the tax hikes, what will happen is we will lose 31,000 jobs in illinois. 700,000 jobs in the united states. >> the next question comes from camille about the university. >> what do you believe is the role of congress in regard to gas prices? does congress play a wall in -- a role in such policy, what specific tactics to use a port to lower gas prices? >> they do play a role.
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one of the bid will they play is to pass laws to make it where we can make -- we can act as our own domestic energy. this administration has made it illegal to get a permit to access natural gas on public grounds. the keystone pipeline is another thing that this administration has put a halt to. my opponent supports the pipeline yet she has -- she is endorsed by one of the biggest firms out there that says you cannot do anything that will put a pipeline in. the key thing here is to get the government -- the overt regulation is crushing our economy. those are the facts. we have to have clean air, clean water. at the same time, when you have the federal government telling the american farmer that your 17-year-old daughter cannot drive a tractor, who will take better care of the farm kid? mom and dad or big government? the key thing is to have both parties coming together sharing ideas. not one party telling us what
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we cannot do. let's look at everything and do it in a responsible way for our economy, for our environment and also to make sure that people are safe on their jobs. >> we need to get away from our reliance on foreign energy. we are taking some good steps in that direction. we have some great examples right here in peoria. with the ag lab. they are researching something that has great potential. as higher oil content than soy beans. it can be planted in the off- season. and has great potential to be used as an alternative biofuel. within the 17th congressional district, we have examples of solar farms. we have examples of wind farms. and did a favor of keeping the wind farm subsidy.
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that is currently being fought by the republican presidential nominee. i am at a favor of that. we have a district that can be a leader in the united states for helping us come up with alternative energy sources and get away from the rely on foreign tule. -- the reliance on foreign fuel. i'm very excited about the possibility. very excited about how the ag lab can play a major part in that. i think, let's use this area as an example that we can hold up around the rest of the country. >> rebuttal from congressman schilling. >> i would agree. i am a big believer in all of the above. my family and i built a green home. green is a red light and blue -- red, white, and blue. it saves us money. we have to put all options on the table.
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>> to what i was not able to adjust the to my first response also is a very much supports the president's proposal to increase the mileage on vehicles that are manufactured. another part that was just one -- an ounce within the last week -- that was just announced last week is what is going on at caterpillar. that's part of this as well. we have tremendous innovation going on back and play a major part in helping the environment and helping us to be a leader in this area. >> alex has the next question. >> i would like to turn to an issue that both candidates have participated in earlier this week. ms. bustos, he held a rally earlier this week. today also added to east moline, the international union of local operating engineers endorsed you, congressman schilling.
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so you are both stressing your support for organized labor. going into specifics, what can you detail about how you would specifically help organize workers? >> we need to get the economy going again. that is number one. our job creation plan involves about manufacturing in the very folks dimension. i'm very proud to have the endorsement. my father in law as a uaw retiree. my husband was in the uaw. this is family. this is personal. it means a lot to me. our job creation plan is this -- that we caught the manufacturing triangle. we have major manufacturing. geographically it makes up a tying goal. -- a triangle.
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we need to partner with community colleges to look of the skills gap. we have jobs that we cannot fill right now. that is where community colleges can come into play. we need to make sure we are addressing these policies that incentivized businesses to send jobs over to places like china. i hope we will have an opportunity to talk about the workers at the bane capital plant in the northern part of our district in how they're being hurt by the still policies -- these failed policies my opponent supports. >> the same question regarding organized labor to congressman schilling. >> it is really clear my opponent is against the free- trade agreement that came out last year. in this district, it is used. caterpillar can give you an idea, at one of their plants they have 3000 workers. 80% of their products shipped outside of the united states. if you do the math, that is a%
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-- that is 80% times 2000 employees. what we have to have in this country is a level playing field. we have the highest corporate tax rates in world. administration has put a more regulation than george bush and bill clinton combined. that is how you ship jobs overseas, when you over regulate and overtaxed. the labor folks will get their jobs. but as they continue to put more regulation and more taxes on our american companies, they will ship more jobs overseas. we create an environment in washington and springfield. we know best in illinois what bad environment and that politicians do to our state. we see here. we see caterpillar with four or five plants not been built here. there is a reason, because of hothouse environment. >> we can get into the free
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trade agreements later on in this hour by going back to the organized labor groups, given both of your support, why should a factory worker earning wages just above the family poverty line vote for you? if you can talk to someone out there who might be watching or listening, what could you do for them? >> are we getting a full 75 seconds to answer this? >> i will give a full 75. >> this is about middle-class and working families. it is making sure that we support the policies that support working men and women. that means that we agree to fair wages. we have lily ledbetter
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supporting our campaign because we support equal pay for equal work, no matter who you are. to receive the endorsement of nearly every labor organization in this region is an indication that i am on the right side of organized labor and it is where i come from. my opponent's voting record on organized labor -- 7%. this is one of the heaviest labor -- organized labor districts in the country. we have 90,000 labor households in this country. we have to make sure we're looking out for what is important to working-class men and women and making sure they have a right to organize. making sure we have, we agree to a private labor agreements. -- to a project labor agreements. i have a track record on the city council where i have approved this. in my career, i have been involved in $100 million in private labor agreements. i am proud of that. i have hands-on experience doing
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that kind of thing. >> there will be no rebuttal because of the following questions. we turned to bobby schilling for his answer. >> the key here is it will back to the environment we create. john deere or caterpillar probably cannot get started today. we are continuing to penalize folks that want to get things off the ground. with the government need to do is make sure we give them proper regulation, clean water, clean air, ct the employees. -- safety of the employees. it is one of the key things. the person that might be building something in the roster they might turn into the next john deere to put these people to work making 30, 40, 50 an hour. one of the things that is great after visiting people here is the training facilities they have here, the labor folks know well that when they get that job and the people that actually hire them, they know the heart -- the quality will be
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there. this is where we have to get the skills sets to our community colleges. get these folks working together to where they are tied in with the businesses. one of the shortages we have is engineers. across the board. getting everybody working together for the common good would be big plus. >> the next question goes to, schilling first. >> a recent campaign at, congressman i learned that you hate old people and that ms. bustos [unintelligible] -- that ms. bustos has tea at the country club while building roads to her house. you have seen yourself bullied on television. how might you change this current situation? >> when we do our ads, when i
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say i am bobby schilling, i approve this message, that is one that i approve. kwqc tv factchecked it and said it was accurate. the big thing is when you look at the ad bobby schilling is going to end medicare as we know it, it was the politifacts lie of the year. what we have to do is do our best with our assets. and try to do some type of reform to where you do not have people putting up at that neither party approves. >> every major print publication into the 17th
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congressional district has criticized the ads that congressmen schilling just try to hold up as being factual. was called reckless fiction. nothat you're saying is true. i'm proud of the campaign be -- campaign we've run. there has not been anything i've said nor anybody on my staff that said that has not been accurate. i said from day one that we are going to run an honorable, honest campaign. i'm proud of the fact that i can stand up here and say we have done that. it is not fair as congressman schilling's ads have been towards me, not nearly as un fair as he's been towards middle-class working families and the policies he supported. i will answer your question now. i support campaign finance reform to the tee. having run for the first time for congress in -- i can tell you this system needs correcting. we spend way too much time having to raise money. i'm proud of the groups that support of its bid to support
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us. we should be out talking to everybody and that audiences like this, going door to door every day. wish to be having economic summits before we debate. should be having economic summits. that is what we should be spending time on. >> 30 seconds to the congressman. >> i will go back to the paid for ads. the $6,400 medicare to our seniors is not true. it has been debunked. along with her telling people we're going to and medicare. we need some reforms. this is where both parties have to sit together. you cannot be picking winners and losers. i would love to see all of this money go to charitable organizations.
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>> the nonpartisan office has confirmed the $6,400 figure. that said, this is what the public despises about politics, the nastiness that has emerged, the fact we have a party that says they're not going to let fact checkers to in the way. this has to stop. if we are going to end the gridlock, we need people who understand the importance of telling the truth and doing it for the right reasons. >> the next question will be to cheri bustos from camille ivy- o'donnell. >> what would you do to create jobs, specifically for the 17th congressional district? >> thank you for that question. i'm going to spend time getting into our jobs program. i would like to be able to talk
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about that. it does revolve around manufacturing. why did we take that as the basis for job creation? because the jobs pay well. we have organized labor to thank for that. retail jobs, we need retell jobs but they're not calling to support a family. let's get back to partnering with the community colleges. we have a strong community college environment. we have icc, heartland community college. we have a strong community college and byron and. went -- environment. when we are talking about the skills gap, the only way to address that is make sure the manufacturers are working with those who are in a position to train people. that is the basis of it.
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you cannot do that without looking at policies that will incentivize the jobs to stay here. i support to the bring american jobs home active. >> the same question to congressman schilling. >> that act she is talking about, you cannot judge the book by its cover. tonight in the rockford register start, they said it is not going to do what it is intended to do. a couple of things, i am a proponent of repatriation. we have $1.7 chile and sitting offshore. companies from other countries pay the federal tax and what happens is when they want to bring the money home, they get to bring it home for nothing. in america, we let them pay the tax or they are at and then we
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charge them a 35% tax. that would be something big. another thing we did for 10 years was looking for a public- private partnership cap to be removed. we did what my predecessors could not do by working in a bipartisan fashion, we got it done in five amounts. we already have our first contract. it is going to spin off about another 600-800 jobs. it is getting the regulation under control. >> the bring american jobs, at, what that does is takes away any kind of tax incentive for companies like bain capital to send jobs to china. i would like to talk about the workers in freeport, illinois.
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their jobs are going to be sent to china. this is because we have tax policies that actually paid to the company's incentives to pack up and ship those jobs over to china. let's pay those companies to bring them home. >> of the key thing is that my opponent continues to talk about how she does not want to ship jobs overseas. she invests tens of thousands of dollars in overseas funds. you cannot have it both ways. what this will do is incentivize companies to go offshore and build a facility for million dollars and get tax incentives for $2 million to bring them back. it will incentivize companies that are automated to come here to america with no jobs. >> can we address the untruths?
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i would like to say, my husband and i have 401 k's. there was one fund that had one quarter of 1% in an overseas fund. as soon as we found out, we divested of that. it is not true. you know it is not true when you continue to spread lies and it is what people distain about the process. >> i do not know what to understand when you invest in an overseas fund, you would know you are investing in overseas fund. that happened. we cannot continue to put more regulations and more taxes on american companies. >> alex rusciano, director question to the congressman. >> this is an issue that has been touched on about free trade. free trade agreements have been a topic in this race. you have said the agreement
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could contribute to hurting jobs what congressman schilling says the free-trade agreements benefit manufacturers that rely on exports. can both of you state where you stand on free trade and what needs to happen to help manufacturing? >> me first? i am a firm believer in the free trade agreements. a 5% of the world customers reside in america. 95% of our customers are outside of the usa. we can compete in beat anybody out there. for example, two weeks ago, the exports for construction equipment in america jumped by 24%. because of free trade. this is where ascender durbin and i agreed on this. we can beat anybody if we are
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given that level playing field. the president did a good job because he put lever is in there where we could pull back and do some changing around. when you look at the farmers, a john deere, all of the traders we have in this district, if you think about it, and there is not one country we are trading with that we do not have a surplus. the only place we do not have a surplus is in energy. that isn't really important to know. >> the same question to cheri bustos. >> the nafta agreements, he voted year ago for the korea- panama trade acts. they have resulted in 91,000
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illinois jobs being shipped overseas. that is why i do not support something like this. i am for trade. i want to be clear on that. i want caterpillar to do well and go overseas. that is critical. we need to focus on sending goods overseas. nafta has been hurtful to the state of illinois. i support a plan that is actually out of the senate called the 21st century trade act. i support that because it allows congress to have more oversight. it is not a one-size-fits-all. it looks at countries to find where there are markets for our goods and keeps in mind human rights. the environment, things that we hold dear as americans. that is the kind of trade agreement, it is common sense trade i want to make sure we take a look at and that is what i support. >> 30 seconds. >> along with senator durbin and
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the president, i back to these agreements. these agreements did not cost 91,000 jobs. that is not true. we can verify that with caterpillar. the only thing costing jobs is when we have companies attacking clean coal and not allowing us to access -- caterpillar cannot build the trucks they sell across the world. >> i think i would turn to maytag. 1700 jobs went over to mexico. that company received tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds and move to the jobs to mexico. i spoke to somebody like dave lost his job. he had to move away from the community in order to find work. those are the kind of people i talk to about how hurtful nafta
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has been. >> herb trix, your next, directed to cheri bustos. >> the corp. for a public broadcasting, it amounts to four hundred $40 million per year. one 12th of 1% of the budget. you favor eliminating this appropriation? >> i do not favor eliminating that. in fact, i am a supporter of public television and public radio. i am a donor to public radio and i am pleased to say i used to be on the board of directors of the rock island based radio station, herb, where you are employed. if we can even look at that example, wvik, it is the only radio station in that region that covers news.
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we are fortunate to have alex working in covering news but that would go under way -- go away under a proposal like this. my husband and my kids grow up on sesame street and i think the news programming is out of public television warrants our support. of publicly a fan radio and public television, i would be an advocate for both as well. >> the same question to congressman schilling. >> is this a big bird question? here is the thing. i do not believe we should pull everything away. it is such an asset. my kids watch it all the time. we had a good conversation and your station, there is some emergency broadcasting. people are not going to know what to do in the event of a disaster. we have to look at where we can come in and do some cuts. try to cut, we have to cut.
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we are 16 chilean, for every $7, will spend 11. this is going to be the fourth year in a row with a trillion dollar deficits. there will not be anything, we will go the way of other countries. what you have to do is make sure that you prioritize cuts and make sure you do not hit things that are wants, not needs. a lot of the issues we are dealing with today, go away. full employment takes care of a lot of problems. when you have regulation, putting more people out of work, you cannot be against the employer and for the employee. >> 30 additional seconds. >> the question the ball to what i would see as priorities. you pointed out very clearly, it
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is such a small part of our national budget. we have a deficit problem. i would ask, why you want to make sure the tax cuts stay there for millionaires and billionaires? i think i would rather have a big bird then making sure that you are making it allowable and profitable for companies to send jobs to china and mexico. >> it is important to hear what my opponent is saying because all we hear are the talking points, big oil, a billionaire, here are the facts. the tax increases she is for are the same increases that in 2009, polo said, why would we want to increase taxes on the job creators in the middle of a recession? what has changed from 2009 until today? we have an election, ladies and
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gentlemen. >> with the deficit, kevin, a freshman, asks, "with the federal deficit climbing, how the plan and reducing the deficit without burdening the middle-class?" >> that's mine? we put together cut, cap, and balance which would cap the spending. we are spending one trillion more every year. we have to look at the wasteful spending. there is billions of dollars. we talk about taxing the millionaires and billionaires, where are we going to get the other trillion dollars? the key to all of this is create an environment where we put people back to work. if we put it more regulations and taxes on companies, they are going to shut down are the the
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country. we see it here all the time. the more people we put back to work, the more people are paying taxes. >> the same question to cheri bustos. >> the first that, you have to approach it in a balanced way. again, step one, get rid of the tax cut for the millionaires. that is a huge part of balancing the budget. the fact that congressman schilling is continuing to work hard and is not willing to take a look at that, that is a part of the problem. we will have to compromise and reach across the aisle. we will have to make some tough decisions. let's start with that -- some of the things that makes sense. the government accountability report has sat on the shelf for two years. $100 billion in savings.
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i would propose intricate -- legislation that would enact that. and investing in education. for every dollar we invest in education, we get a return because people get jobs. they go to college and in an economy like this for him to want to cut grants by $12 billion, and that is not what we want to do. >> i will reiterate, that tax increases my opponent is talking about will cost illinois 31,000 jobs. the same hikes that president obama kept from happening in 2009. washington, d.c. is the only place when you have a baseline budgeting going up by 7%, you'll keep it the same, washington is the only place where you cut the increase and they say you're cutting grants.
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it is not true. >> again, it gets down to priorities. you want to cut programs like head start. you want to keep the tax cuts for millionaires. you want to charge sr. $6,400 a year, which can be fact check. those are the wrong priorities. the question was the middle class. that is why i am running. that is my family's background. his dad had in eight grade education and he was able to succeed and have his family grow to a middle-class existence because of a john deere. >> the next question is from alex. >> this topic has been touched on. you each have criticized your opponent's stance on medicare. congressman chilling has said the reform would mean $700 billion in cuts will you say
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that the plan would drive up the medicare costs for seniors. the question is, and voters might be more interested in, how do you think medicare should look? >> medicare is run efficiently. the overhead costs on medicare is much more efficient than any private insurance company. i have spent the last 10 years in health care. i know medicare pretty well. here is what i would propose changing. make sure medicare can be here for the current generation and the generation after that. it is a promise we have made to the seniors. it keeps them out of poverty. we need to make sure that medicare can negotiate prescription drug prices. right now they are not allowed
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to do that. we need to make sure that electronic records are implemented and used to make sure patients are not getting over prescribed drugs or they are not, the health care is redundant. we can coordinate care with the help of electronic health records and the provisions, we can do that. i have seen great successes where i work and i know that has potential savings for the medicare system. >> the fact of the matter is, medicare is going broke. it will be insolvent in 2024. i am the only one sitting here that has backed a plan to save and strengthen medicare. the 55 and older will keep the exact same medicare you currently have.
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you can continue on traditional medicare or you can pick and choose from a list of approved providers. one of the frustrating scorer -- frustrating things for me, it is one thing to come to the table with a plan, but it is another thing to demagogue. that is what washington does. they need to come together and figure out solutions to problems. this will be a bureaucrat that will come between the patient and the doctor. that is wrong. american companies, another incentive to ship jobs overseas. we have to have people that are willing to have the guts to do the right thing and save and strengthen this comment to come to the table with no solution is
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wrong. >> i am glad i pointed out the solutions i would have to help start cutting medicare in the right direction. however, i am not going to balance the budget on the backs of seniors. it would cost 60 four hundred dollars. i happen to be under 55. what about them? our health needs are not going to be any different from our parents or grandparents. we're going to cut the program? >> i have been paying into the system since i was 13 years old. it is out and out wrong to bury our heads in the sand and not have a fix for this. my grandmother, i do not want a bureaucrat coming between my grandma and the doctor. i am willing to sit down from anybody -- with anybody, i will work with anybody because it is
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the right thing to do. this is serious stuff and we need to stop playing games. >> we will have time for one more question. please restrict your answers to less than 60 seconds. herb trix with a question. >> this is near and dear to a lot of people, the thompson prison. leaders have said -- >> i have been working on that for some time. last year i brought that to the
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prison and we agreed in needed to be opened as a federal prison. i fought to get out there and work with these people. this is why relationships are important. i do not look at democrat or republican. it is about building relationships to get things done. this happened, the prison was sold. but now we have to go to try to get people to give us the funding needed to get it open. i will do everything i can. that is 11 hundred jobs of economic impact. we will not have any problem filling up. every president is above capacity. >> it is the epitome of dysfunction in congress. at the fact that it was sitting there vacant, we had a consensus of wanting to open it, fill the jobs ge. my opponent is behind this phantom controversy. there was not fact behind it. everybody year i brought that te prison and we agreed in needed to be opened as a federal prison. had gone on the record
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saying we're not going to allow these prisoners here. senator durbin made the statement, and i think it is telling, about how the prison is in the hands of the federal government. he said i asked him to do one thing, and he could not get it done. that was to convince his republican colleague in the house to move on this. one congressman was blocking this thing for a matter of years. now we're on the cusp of an economic impact that politics got in the way up. should i be elected, that will not happen. >> thank you. it is now time for closing statements. we will allow cheri bustos to go first with closing statements. >> thanks to everybody in the audience into the panel as well. i appreciate it. this erection, and i think you have seen it tonight, a gift -- election, and i think you have
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seen it tonight, gets down to priorities. i go all over this district and i talked to people every day about how they are hurt by a washington post of priorities. i visited -- washington's priorities. they cannot afford $64. i talked to people like carol who attended bradley university and today is an engineer because of pell grants. she fears it will not be available down the line. and then the workers, we talked about it a couple of times. dot turner has worked there for third -- 43 years in her job has gone to china. she is training her chinese replacement. here is what i want to work on. i want to make sure medicare and social security are there. i want to make sure the incentives go away.
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i want to make sure we balance the budget with the right priorities. i would like to ask for your vote. i hope you will find a more the of that and i will never stop fighting for the middle-class working families. >> and a closing statement from congress and chilling. >> i'd like to say this fight came to me. we were raising my kids, watching what was happening to this great state and country. i decided to throw my hat in the ring. i do not come from party royalty. my dad was not a lobbyist. he was a bartender. this is about doing the right thing. this is about a fight for america. said my business and family to the site to serve. folks get out there and forget where they are from. peopleere to serve the of the district. i rejected the congressional pension.
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i brought my own health care. i am leading by example. i gave $110,000 of my budget back to the people. we have to be. there is no more time for following. if somebody had told me i would be here five years ago, i would have said no way. i andris can you can have an even mesh. i would ask for your vote on november 6 and i will continue to lead by example. >> that concludes this debate for the 17th congressional district. i want to thank bobby schilling and cheri bustos for committing time and energy to the race and i would like to thank the panel, alex rusciano, camille ivy- o'donnell, and herb trix. and thank you to our viewing and listening and studio audiences for in joining the debate this evening. thank you, everybody.
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i am wayne wilson, reminding you to cast your ballot. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> as a catholic, how has your view on abortion been shaped? >> i am not catholic. i am an episcopalian. i guess i cannot answer that question. >> your husband is catholic. >> i am an episcopalian. my children are catholic. my grandchildren have been baptized in the catholic church and we have raised our children as catholics. i would be happy to talk about my view on abortion. my view is it should be safe, legal, and rare. >> here is a valid point that is constructive and it is the difference between us. that is the brenda act. we have babies that are being aborted simply because they are baby girls, because the mother wants a boy.
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we have evidence of that. it is coming from the asian community. we have legislation that prohibits sex-selective abortions. she says it is ridiculous to talk about it. i think commanders. -- think it matters. >> the election is less than a week away. >> coming up, we will bring you an update on hurricane sandy. it is expected to start shortly. we'll have it for you when it gets under way. president obama was expected to make remarks within the hour. we plan to take his comments and have it for you later. a look at some of our other coverage later today, here on c- span at 8:00 we will be a discussion on the future of the news industry. c-span2 will give you a panel
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of younger ceos discussing the practice of crowd sourcing, tester bidding cash to help regular folks distribute products without the need of a physical plant. and on c-span3, the debate on poverty in america and the role of government. we will hear from joe byham's former chief economic adviser -- biden's former chief economic advisor. all of that starting at 8:00 eastern tonight. and now an update on hurricane sandy federal relief efforts. >> you may disconnect at this time. i will turn over the meeting to mr. lars anderson, director of public affairs. >> thank you for joining us. we're going to have three speakers on the call today, craig, and robert parker from
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the coast guard. each speaker is going to give opening remarks and then we will turn to q&a. we are going to keep it to 30 minutes. please limit yourself with no questions so we can get through as many as possible. let me turn it over to craig. >> now that sandy has transitioned into a post a tropical storm, you are obviously aware of the lot of damage that occurred last night and in the early morning hours due to storm surge and flooding. we see snow conditions, a blizzard conditions in west virginia and extensive power outages. the big update is the state and locals are rapidly working on a rescue operations as well as president obama, last night,
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after consultations with the governors, granted a disaster declaration for emergency measures for some of the counties that were most heavily impacted. this is extraordinary in that we generally do more thorough assessments and it is often taking longer but because of the extent of the damage, it was evident to the president he would do this as a verbal declaration. we have only done this once before in america send note -- samoa. we are working with utility companies on power restoration, the department of energy and other agencies are working closely with the governors as we are working on the various
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issues that have come up and continue to come on. -- up. >> let me take -- turn it over to the hurricane center. >> good afternoon. we have a post-tropical cyclone over western pennsylvania right now. it is still a large system, as it always has been. it has been impacting the u.s. the coastal in packs are certainly less today than they were last night. -- impacts are certainly less today than they were last night. they are certainly not zero. given that, we are still going to see perhaps a little bit of coastal flooding in the 3 or 4 foot range in spots, not everywhere. especially focused around the times of high tide.
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the wind speed is not what it was but there is still some strong wind over a large area. even as far west as lake michigan. there is a little bit of a potential for some minor flooding, maybe the southern end of lake michigan. then the wind going into the coast of maine are fairly breezy. it is certainly not as widespread. we could see some power disruptions as a result of the wind we are getting today. the center of circulation will generally move north by about this time tomorrow. the center should be north of the great lakes and canada but it will take into tomorrow for all of the weather to clear out of the u.s. the snowfall clint -- continues in west virginia.
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the storm total could be 2-3 feet in some places and the rainfall could be more than 1 feet. oot. i do not want people to think it could be over. there could be a flash flooding. i will be happy to take any questions. i think we are going to let the animal from the coast guard speak next. >> good afternoon. cropp parker and we have been dealing mostly with coastal and offshore a facts. the offshore piece is unfortunately, it has moved far enough in mind it is no longer affecting us. we are still searching for the master at there. we have two ships at their and an aircraft -- out there and an aircraft. lake michigan, we are seeing in excess of 20 feet and we are seeing some of those affects
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doctor knabb was talking about. it impacts the debt of the channels, it puts the canal is still open that they're having a hard time moving it because the water is at the other end of the lake. we are continuing to survey along the coastline. our forces are equally as impacted as we go in front and try to open up the ports to get commerce flowing again. we just reopened this afternoon. everything from their north, up to -- still remains closed or open with a restriction. we will get those open as soon as we can. a lot of challenges in the new york and new jersey area where it is hard to get to the infrastructure. >> with that, at the operator
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will begin the q&a session. a reminder, we have a lot of people on the call today so please limit yourself to one question. we will get to as many as we can. with that, we are ready to take the first question. >> if you would like to ask a question, please press star, then 1. >> can you talk about how important it will be to get power back? what are fema's capabilities? >> outside of the area, power restoration tends to drive all of the rest of the response activity. getting the power back on it is if you would like to ask a question, pleasea need. fema has the generators to support to the governors to get facilities back on line. the way the federal government
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works thefema is a coronary bought -- works, fema is a coordinating body. the secretary and his team have been working with and talking with the major power companies on the additional systems they may need as well as working with our teams to expedite anything that would enable them to get in faster. >> operator, next question. need. >> some of the houses have been lifted from their foundations. >> i would not begin to guess. that is something to come back to on the disaster declaration.
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normally i could give you numbers based on damage assessment we would have used to justify the disaster declaration. because it was so widespread, we saw those impacts, we were able to determine it exceeded a states capability. i would caution that a number of shelters will not be a good indicator of how many homes were damaged or flooded. a lot of people stay with friends or families. we are working with the governors to determine what additional assistance they need. the primary focus last night was in new york and new jersey. we are working with connecticut and some of the other states that had some widespread flooding. >> operator, next question. could you name the filly had? >> the next question is from -- the affiliate? >> the next question is
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questionrob stein. >> >> i was wondering if you could talk about the public health concerns, things were worried about the most. >> well, public health is a wide range. right now we are focused on safety issues as well as hospitals and nursing facilities. our lead agency function is helping a human services, the center for disease control had already moved a disaster team and other resources into the area. again, we have to recognize that governors have robust capabilities. we are supporting them. i think the primary thing is making sure that health care systems are coming back on line. in the aftermath, the more important thing is not to add to the disaster. because of the risk of injury, i
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have often times have found that the storm is deadly and the recovery results in more deaths from accidents. that will continue to stress the health-care system as it tries to recover. again, we are working to support the states as they are dealing with all the issues. the public can do a lot by being cautious in this recovery. even though the storm may be improving in some areas, the danger of may still exist. >> operator, next question. >> the next question is from usa today. >> where is the most likelihood of the river flooding? where is that the most likely in the next couple of days? >> this is rick.
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based on the river gauges that a number of us have been monitoring, it looks like most of those will be in the new jersey-pennsylvania area. that would not be the only place. i do not want let anybody off the hook about what could a leader in sue because there is a lot more rain that could fall -- what could ensue because there is a lot more rain that could fall. >> the next question is from the joe davidson of washington post. >> can you tell me how many employees you have deployed and where they are? >> i would not even begin to be able to count. fema had over 1500 people
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yesterday. that is not counting the army corps of engineers. many agencies were already in the area. we will attempt to have public affairs put together some numbers. know the number is going up rapidly as we are able to get into these areas and identify some of the needs. >> operator, next question. >> the new york times. >> how are you going to prevent widespread fraud in the individual business program? fema has been criticized for that. >> we have more fraud control built into that. based upon the impact, we're going to dispatch what we call
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housing inspectors. when people register, we will go out and verify the pertinent information and verify the residents for the full assistance program. we will also be turning part of the program to help with the immediate housing, are temporary shelter system. again, it is always based upon trying to get the best information and verify that the individual families in the area -- without producing an unfair burden. we will get you some fact sheets about our of rates the last couple of years. we are about a 1% below that on i sick and previous storms. again, a week -- isaac and previous storms. again, we try to prevent that.
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>> the l.a. times, your line is open. >> i can see the major disaster declarations for new york and new jersey came up quickly. can you discuss which steps were skipped to expedite the process? >> the president always has the authority that he can directly provide that assistance. after a conversation, the fact we had reports from the state of the impact, it wanted those requests. other states have indicated that although they see impacts, and they will do assessments. they are not sure what assistance they require. with new york and new jersey, we are talking with several other states, the amount of damage was such a there was not a question it would exceed the normal threshold for disaster. the president concurred to
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provide that assistance based upon the verbal request of the governors. >> operator, next question. >> thom brown of reuters, your line is open. >> for mr. fugate, did you have an overall death toll? could you personalize this? given the fact it is so widespread, did you feel like the agency was overwhelmed? >> we have reports that have come upfcomeema does not you hae an -- come up. fema does not estimate debts. i have seen reports that are high as 30. that is not confirmed the number. we deferred to the states for what the official toll will be.
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deaths related to the storm. >> the first part, how you feel about this? how does it rank alongside the other disasters? >> we are busy responding. i find when we are in a response like this, i am not looking at comparing it to other disasters. i am more focused on what the missions are. >> the next question. >> kevin hall for mcclatchy. >> thank you for doing this. the question on the flood insurance program, i wanted to verify, and you have a sense of how many people, there were 5.6 million policies. any sense of distribution on the east coast? my guess is a lot of these people did not have it because it is not an area like florida. talk about the finances of the
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program. 19 billion shortfall? >> i will try to get some bullet points in here. we are going to use remote sensing to determine those areas. we have an overlay of where our policies are to do the determination of what potential impacts are going to be. the program has an authority of which we have about $17 billion in existing from prior disasters, most notably katrina. we are going to assess the impact of this and look at whether or not we will require any other authority based upon the estimates of how many policies have been impacted. >> next question. >> this is from donna of usa today. >> good afternoon.
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thanks for doing this. i was wondering if you could describe what types of conversations you have had with the state officials and what is a foremost on their minds. and also how you would respond to those needs. >> we were talking before the storm and most telling today, the call with the president and many of the governor's, as bad as the storm has been, one of the surprising things, not surprising to me that maybe the cynics will be surprised, was how many governors that were saying we are not that bad. we are offering help to the states that are heavily hit. or we are going to deal with our problems. we have some issues but we do not want to take away from the states that are harder hit. the thing all of the governors are on pressed concern are
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our restoration. we are working with utilities as they begin the assessments. from that standpoint, we have been talking with individual governors and mayors or with them collectively on conference calls, and it has been preparation for this and the response in being responsive to their needs. a number of dates -- states have said they will offer their assistance to new jersey and connecticut. they are still dealing with issues they have in their own states. >> next question. >> this is from tony wood. >> a quick question about the major presidential disaster declaration. i assume that would be confined
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to the jersey coastal counties. which new york counties? >> we worked last night based upon, the impact we were saying that were causing the problem was the storm surge and the fighting cost. so the initial request was based on those that had significant flooding. that included the burroughs around in your, as well as some york, as around new well as some of the others. we had pretty good information and we were able to work with the weather service on mapping where the surge was most severe and used that to drive the initial assessment of damage. >> next question. >> this is from kristi parsons of tribune newspapers. >> thank you for taking my call.
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i was wondering if there are examples that show why you need to have fema acting as a coordinator. is it possible to say how this would have been different if the officials had been working on their around? -- their own? >> we are doing what we have been designed to do so that states do not have to go through all of the federal agencies to determine what assistance is available. and also coordinating what they will need for the recovery. it i am a wrapped around this and it looks i do not have a point of reference other than we have been doing our job to support the states and coordinate on behalf of the president. >> next question. >> this is from npr. >> administrator fugate, can you
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describe the difference between a major disaster declaration and the declarations that have been hit -- declared for the other states? >> the first declarations were prior to landfall. they had the potential for impact. those were for direct federal assistance. they are generally limited to $5 million. they can be increased. they are really designed to open it up so that as governors identify needs, we can provide agencies directly to the states. we were moving a lot of things. such as being able to distribute commodities like food, water, other things to the states. the major -- it is more of a financial reimbursement. it provides assistance and financial assistance and
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reimbursement to the governors and the local jurisdictions for their -- that is eligible. as we get further assessments, we will determine if they will need additional reimbursement for uninsured losses for the actual damages that occurred to government facilities. >> operation -- operator, next question. >> the next question is from abc news radio. >> i will not waste your time. my question was answered previously. >> next question, please. >> elizabeth of bloomberg business news. >> this question is for craig. the mayor had rejected fema helped. what changed and what portion of the relief is coming from fema?
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>> we need to be clear, we have been in conversations with mayor bloomberg. the city of new york has a few resources to be able to respond. what we have been providing this the tools -- is the tools. the combination of helping defray the costs coupled with the resources the city of new york has is a good example of how the team works. in many cases, jurisdictions are able to manage that initial response but the individuals that are impacted and the extraordinary cost and the assistance of a federal disaster declaration. >> to clarify, intel the declaration, york city was on its own? -- until the declaration, new
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york city was on its own? >> the governor will request the jurisdictions to be involved. that involved to date boroughs of new york. ogroughs of new york. >> can you say whether there is a concern that any future administration might cut it? >> i am in the real world, not the future world. i have the resources we need to respond. based upon what we had carried over from last year and the continuing resolution, cash on hand, the ability to respond to existing disasters, 3.6.
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in addition, congress had appropriated the funds for the year for the drf. that is not the limiting factor. we will assess what the impacts of the storm are and determine if additional funding may be needed in the future. the budget for this fiscal year and the funds from last year are going to provide all of the funds we need for the response as well as the continuing recovery from all of our previous disasters. >> with that, we're going to and today's conference call. i wanted to point out to bank websites. you can go toweather.gov to get the latest weather and there is a portal online for of the federal assistance to get information and apply for assistance and to check their
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application status. disasterassistance.gov. for the latest from fema, www.fema.gov. with that, we will and today's call. >> the latest updates, if you missed any of it, you can see it again in d.c.'s ban video library. video library. oral arguments have been rescheduleddisasterassistance.g. for the for this coming thursday when the court will convene at 10:00 a.m. eastern. it is going to hear arguments tomorrow. as the government responds, president obama held a video conference with the heads of a number of agencies. he has also speaking with the governors and mayors of infected states expressing concerns -- affected states expressing concerns. a few moments ago, he was at the
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red cross. he praised the cooperation between state and local governments and repeated his message is no bureaucracy, do whateverwe have tape the presi's remarks and will have them later on our schedule. because the present at camp hill -- canceled campaign events today and tomorrow, and clear when he will be back on the campaign trail. mitt romney was at relief effort earlier today in ohio. here is what he had to say. ♪> [applause] >> good morning. thank you for being here today
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and helping out. appreciate that very much. we have heavy hearts, as you know, with all the suffering going on in a major part of the country. a lot of people hurting this morning. the storm goes on. i have had a chance to speak to some of the governors in the affected area, and they have talked about a lot of people have been very hard times. i appreciate the fact that some people got up and went to the grocery store and purchased things these families will need, and i appreciate your generosity. it is part of the american spirit and the american way to get to people in need. your generosity touches my heart, and i appreciate what you have done. we of a lot of good here, and more coming in. have a lot of goods here, and more coming in.
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we will not be able to solve all the problems with our efforts this morning, although a lot of people will still be looking for goods. i know that one of the things i have learned in life is you make the difference you can, and you cannot always solve all the problems yourself, but make the difference in the lives of one or two people also of results of one or two people taking an effort. once we had a football game of my high school. the football field afterwards was covered with all sorts of rubbish and paper goods from people who had had a big celebration at the game. there was a group of us assigned to clean it up. and i thought how will we clean of all the mess on the football field? the person responsible for organizing the effort said just line up along the yard lines. if you go between the goal line and the 10 yard line and then walk through and do your lane.
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if ever one cleans the air lanes, we will be able to get the job done. today we're cleaning one plane, if you will. -- one lane. [applause] i have to tell you, i am proud of you here in dayton for showing up in such large numbers to help out this way. i remember in my state of massachusetts when katrina and some of the people evacuated from new orleans were brought to massachusetts, we gathered at a military base on cape cod, and they thought they were going to houston, by the way. when the plane said we were going to boston they were not real happy because it is a little colder in boston. the came to cape cod, and we told the citizens we have people coming here from new orleans that have been affected by the hurricane if you like to help by
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providing supplies and goods they might need, come bring them to cape cod. there were cars lined up, people dropping off all sorts of goods of all kinds, some things that were temporary like food, but others that were permanently tv sets and close. -- permanent like tv sets and clothes. have some people having a hard time because of the hurricane and the things that followed it. i want to thank you. to make this an enjoyable work setting, we have asked a great entertainer, randy owen, alabama to be here. you will probably tell you this story about a tornado that hit his county in alabama and describe why it is he is here.
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we appreciate the fact he has agreed to, entertain and bring people in that have brought in goods as their cover charge to be here this morning. thank you for your help and generosity. by the way, if you have a little extra, if you have more canned goods, bring them along to the victory centers that are open. also, if you read, write a crest -- write a check to american red cross, that is welcome as well. thank you for your generosity and support. i will go to work here at the table and get things sorted and boxed up. for the rest of you, enjoyed the concert randy will put on. thank you so very much. but you and appreciate you. thank you. [applause] -- thank you and apprecaite you. ♪
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[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national
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cable satellite corp. 2012] >> hello, everybody. how were the law dealing in ohio? , but your hands cupped together, everybody. >> how are you all to win in ohio? one, too, 34. -- one, two, three, dulbulkfour. four. ♪
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>> mitt romney earlier today rallying volunteers other hurricane relief event in the battleground state of ohio. the white house has just announced president obama will travel to new jersey tomorrow. he will have a chance to view some of the damage in think first responders. a short time ago he visited with workers at the red cross to update and bring them for the work. here is the president. [applause]
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>> first of all, i want to thank gail and charlie that are on the scene doing work every time we have a disaster here in the united states of america, but obviously the red cross is doing outstanding work internationally. we want to thank them for their outstanding work. a few things i want to emphasize to the public at the top, this storm is not yet over. we of gone briefings from the national hurricane center. it is still moving north. there are still communities that could be affected. i want to emphasize there are still risks of flooding, downed power lines, risks of high winds. very important for the public to continue to monitor the situation in your local community. listen to your state and local officials, follow instructions. the more you follow the
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instructions, the more they can deal with bettesituation. next obviously i want to talk about the extraordinary hardship. seen over the past 48 hours. our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families to of lost loved ones. unfortunately there have been fatalities as a consequence of hurricane sandy, and it's not clear that we have counted up all the fatalities at this point. obviously this is something that is heartbreaking for the entire nation, and we certainly feel profoundly for the families who have been uprooted and will be going through some very tough times over the next several days, perhaps weeks and months. the most important message i have for them is that america is
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waiting. we are standing behind you, and we will do everything we can to help you get back on your feet. earlier today i had a conversation with the governors, and many of the mayors in the affected areas, including gov. christie, cuomo, and bloomberg. want to praise them for the extraordinary work they have done. sadly we are getting more experience with these big-impact storms along the east coast, in the preparation shows. for it not for the of standing outstanding work of day in their teens, we could have seen more deaths and property damage. they have done extraordinary work, working around the clock. coordination between state and local governments has been outstanding.
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obviously we are now moving into the recovery phase and a lot of the most severely-affected areas. new jersey, new york have been pounded by this storm. connecticut has taken a big hit. because of the sum -- because of some of the work done ahead of time, we have been able to get over 1000 officials in place. we have been able to get supplies, food, medicine, water and emergency generators to ensure hospitals and law enforcement offices are able to stay up and running as their of their responding. we will continue to push as hard as we can to make sure power is up throughout the region, and obviously this is mostly a local responsibility, and the private utilities are going to have to lean forward, but we're doing everything we can to provide additional resources so that we
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can expedite getting power up and running in many of the communities. there are places where new work, new jersey, were you a 80% of the people without power. -- newark, new jersey, where you have 80 percent of the people without power. my instruction has been do not figure out why we cannot do something. i want to figure out how we do something. i want you to cut through red tape, bureaucracy. there is no excuse for inaction at this point. i want every agency to lean forward and make sure we are getting the resources where they are needed as quickly as possible. so i want to repeat, my message to the federal government, no bureaucracy, no red tape. dear resources where they're needed as fast as possible, as hard as possible, and for the duration, because the recovery process obviously in a place
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like new jersey will take a significant amount of time. the recovery process in lower manhattan will take a lot of time. part of what we're trying to do here is also see where are the resources that can be brought to bear that traditionally are not used in these kinds of disaster situations. for example, there may be military assets that help was moved equipment -- us move equipment to make sure the flooding and pumping out the water in new york city can move more quickly. there may be resources to bear to help. private utilities get their equipment and personnel in place so we can get power up and running as soon as possible. so my message to the governors and mayors and through them to the communities that have been hit so hard is that we are going to do everything we can to get resources to you and make sure
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any unmet need is identified. we are responding to it as quickly as possible. i told the mayors and governors if they're getting no for an answer somewhere in the federal government, they can call me personally at the white house. obviously the state and local federal response is important, but what we do as a community, what we do as neighbors and fellow citizens is equally important. a couple of things i want the public to know they can do. first of all, because our local law enforcement, first responders, to the extent everyone can be out there looking out for neighbors, especially older folks that is really important. if you have a neighbor nearby you are not sure how they're handling of power outage, flooding, etc., go over and visit them. not on the door and make sure they are doing ok.
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that can make a big difference. -- knock on the door and make sure they are 0/ ok. people but not been affected around the country, now is the time to show generosity that makes america the greatest nation on earth. a good place to express that is by donating to the red cross. you think go on to their web site. they are in close contact with federal, state, and local officials. it will make sure we get the resources to those families as quickly as possible. i want to thank everyone here do is raise a great job when it comes to disaster response. the final message i say is during the darkness of the storm i think we also saw what is brightest in america. i think all of us were obviously
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shocked by the force of modern -- of mother nature. at the same time, we have seen nurses at nyu hospital carrying fragile newborns to safety. we've seen incredibly brave firefighters in queens waist- deep in water bottling infernos and rescuing people in boats. one of my favorite stories is down in north carolina, the coast guard going out to save a sinking ship. they sent a rescue swimmer out. the rescue swimmer sent by dan and understand you need a ride. that kind of resilience and strength and looking out for one another, that is why we always bounced back from these kinds of disasters. this is a tough time for a lot of people, millions of folks all across the eastern seaboard,
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but america is tough, and we are tougher because we pull together and lead nobody behind. we make sure that we respond as a nation and remind ourselves that whenever an american is indeed, all of us stand together to make sure we're providing the help necessary. i just want to thank the incredible response we a party scene, but i want to remind people this will take some time. it is not going to be easy for a lot of the communities to recover swiftly. it will be important that we sustain the spirit of resilience, that we continue to be good neighbors for the duration until everyone is back on their feet. much, everybody. thank you, red cross. [applause]
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>> we learned just a short time ago from the white house president obama will visit new jersey tomorrow. he will travel with chris christie. earlier today praised the president's response. iwe plan to have that for you on the c-span networks. >> c-span coverage of campaign 2012 continues with the new york house debate between kathy local and republican challenger chris collins. she currently represents new york's 26th district.
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due to redistricting, they're facing off to fill the seat in the 27. he is a former erie county executive. this is courtesy -- courtesy of ynn tv in new york. >> welcome to this special presentation from ynn. >> we will be bringing you a debate between kathy hochul and chris collins. this is a larger district. this includes livingston in wyoming county. much of ontario county and a little bit of monroe county. >> the format is pretty straightforward. we're going to ask questions of the candidates. they have one minute to respond. their opponent will have 45 seconds to rebut and an additional 30 seconds will be given to candidates at our discretion. we will also have the candidates ask each other a question and we will have a lightning round. we start with a 60-second opening statement. >> one year ago, republicans,
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democrats, and independents honored me with their votes and sent me to washington. i have worked hard to keep that promise. here's what i have done. cut taxes on middle-class families. end overburdensome regulations. make sure we keep our promise to seniors on medicare. as well as make sure we support our military and support the niagara falls reserve station. we have to make sure we balance the budget the right way. i promise to continue to be a strong independent voice and a fighter to make sure everyone born in this country has the same shot i did.
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that is my commitment to you. >> thank you. >> good evening. i am running for congress to do my part to help restore the promise of the american dream for our children and grandchildren. our country is at a tipping point. my granddaughter turned one last saturday. she has $52,000 federal debt at her feet. that is unacceptable. my 85-year-old mom is worried she's going to lose her medicare advantage. they believe we can tax and spend our way to prosperity. i know better and i think you know better. we have to grow our way to prosperity. less spending in washington with a balanced budget. energy independence and the repeal of obamacare. thank you for tuning in and i
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am confident at the end of this debate, i will have earned your vote on november 6 to go to washington as your member of congress. thank you. >> let's get right to the questioning. there is a new proposal to build a stadium and complex for the buffalo bills along the city's waterfront. the current stadium expires in 2013. do you think a downtown stadium is a viable alternative? >> i am not sure that is going to be the right location. we have to get that lease signed. when chris collins was county executive, there was an opportunity to put this to bed. we're coming down to the 11th hour and we have to make sure we take care of ensuring the buffalo bills stay here. we have to step up and help them.
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the stadium is becoming obsolete and we need to make sure they have got the best resources. our identity is linked to the buffalo bills, even when they have their ups and downs, this area loves an underdog. it is a resource we have to protect. the idea of the stadium downtown will be more than we are interested in doing at this time. >> do you think a downtown stadium is a possibility? >> i was county executive, i was in constant contact working through getting into this year. $1.4 billion, we did not have it. much like washington, we're always talking about spend, spend, spend. the cupboards are bare in washington. it is ridiculous to be talking about a $1.4 billion investment. the stadium is about as good as it was when it was built. we will have to do some
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upgrades, but there is not $1.4 billion sitting around for a stadium that the bills said they do not want. >> do you think the buffalo market can support an nfl team? >> absolutely. i believe in this team. this team is important to our local identity. it is an important economic catalyst. this sunday morning, i was at the restaurant in warsaw. the place was packed with people heading to the bills' game. >> what we have here is a great regional market. they sell out the stadium. the support of the fans is second to none. i know the bills want to stay here. they need reasonable improvements to the stadium. i am confident the state will come through on that part and the county will continue to support expenses and some
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capital as we move forward. it is up to the governor to make sure the money is there to improve the stadium. >> obviously, the buffalo bills are very important to the economy of western new york. the economy is more than just football. the jobless rate fell for the first time in 11 months. it remains well above the national average. in western new york, the rate is up slightly. we have been talking about this for years about how to fix the economy in western new york. what is one thing in your opinion that needs to be done to turn around this long standing issue?
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how do you propose to achieve that if you are elected to congress? >> i am the only candidate who has spent his entire career creating jobs, 600 jobs. we have to repeal obamacare. obamacare -- trillions of dollars of taxes and fees. we are faced with the government takeover of health care. we have to get rid of that. we have to grow our economy 4% a year. reducing the marginal tax rate on the dairy farmers and small- business people in the area and by reducing the marginal rate so they have more money on april 15 to invest. when you take money away -- that is going to cost them $1 million a year that would otherwise be used to grow their company and create jobs. repeal obamacare, repeal obamacare, repeal obamacare. >> repeal obamacare takes the burden off existing businesses, you believe that it would
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encourage people to create more jobs without the health care law? >> right now, businesses are sitting on cash they want to use to invest for jobs. with the uncertainty of the trillion dollar deficit, and the uncertainty of obamacare -- if you do not have 50 employees, you are not. right now, obamacare is stopping companies from investing because they do not want what they see with the government takeover telling them what benefits to provide. obamacare is stopping jobs today. companies are not going to expand. >> i believe your question is what we can do to get this economy going. >> correct. >> government does not create jobs. we can create the conditions for them. we need to make sure our young people have the skills they
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need for the 21st century. i have been visiting sites all over western europe. it is mind-boggling that young people graduating from community colleges and colleges and our employers are begging for jobs. we can do so much more, but i do not think you can blame obamacare for everything. you can blame it for the bills' loss on sunday. let's deal in realities. >> 8% unemployment under obama. the last three months, less jobs created in september than august. this economy is not moving forward. people have given up even looking for work. we have trillion dollar a year deficits.
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when is enough enough? americans know enough is enough. >> we are going to get to deficits and taxes, too. >> the niagara falls reserve station is the largest employer in niagara county. there is the possibility of automatic cuts in defense spending if the budget deal in congress is not reached by january. could this threaten the future of the base? is it realistic to continue the current operations at the base? >> absolutely. that is why i had the opportunity to work with republicans and democrats and have an amendment passed by the entire house of representatives to protect the air base. we brought secretary panetta here, he said he was committed to that base.
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we have so many more things we can do here. we're going to have a $6 million simulator. there are exciting things happening with our existing mission. that is not good enough. we have to find a new mission to make sure we become part of a better military of the future. sequestration is not going to happen. that was brinkmanship at its worst. we will get back together, and clearer heads will prevail and we will get the job done. >> is sequestration a real threat? >> sequestration is a threat to the united states. i do not believe it is going to
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go forward. there will be some solution between election day and january 1. there is a solution to the air force base. that simulator is not comeing unless they get more planes there. there are 16 c-130s. we need the governor to commit moving them to join with the 12 that are there right now, giving us 28. then a simulator comes to niagara falls. and the future of the base is secure. there is a solution, not just happy talk. >> i would like to get back to health care. you've already said tonight that you want to repeal obamacare. what specifically would you support in its place and how could you ensure that health care coverage is available to everyone in the district at
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large? >> you cannot let perfect be the enemy of good. the health care system in the united states, the best in the world. better than europe, better than canada. we had the best in the world. is it perfect? no. you cannot let perfect be the enemy of good. obamacare makes our health care disastrous for the economy, for my mom who is depending on medicare advantage. there is not going to be medicare advantage anywhere close to what we know today. we can add the 26-year-olds to their parents' policy, a very easy fix.
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but what is going on now is going to mean we never have a balanced budget. it is going to mean small business does not grow and we have to start growing this economy. what we had was the best in the world. we can make it better. we need tort reform. you do not let perfect be the enemy of good. >> you support returning to the system as it was? you have said in the past that you would be open to reform, but it sounds like what you are suggesting is around the edges and not significant wholesale -- >> that is correct. i do not believe in a government takeover of health care. what we had was the best in the world. >> that is a rather extreme position. there is no way we should be looking to get the cost of health care under control? even mitt romney is willing to
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look at opportunities to make sure we do it right. that is even more extreme than i ever heard before. we need to fix what is wrong and move on. i have already voted to repeal the medical device tax. i will not throw young people off their parents' plans. we can do better. i believe this country can do better. >> did you say that you would support allowing young people to remain on their parents' insurance? >> absolutely. that is where she distorts my answers. i would also like to point out that she is going to vote to repeal this or that, when she talks about the medical device tax she does not like, that is
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the only reason obamacare is even close to being balanced. it is raising taxes and fees. you cannot take these pieces out and still have obamacare. obamacare has to go and that is a big difference in you and i. >> we're going to get to medicare. >> i have told you so many times. i did not support the $716 billion in cuts to medicare. if the leadership in congress, the republican leadership would allow us to come back to washington, i would vote no. that is part of the ryan budget. i voted twice against the ryan budget. medicare advantage is growing under the current plan. more people are being covered under obamacare than not.
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>> we are going to move to medicare very quickly. >> you cannot take $716 billion out of obamacare and have obamacare. she thinks she can take that $716 billion out and still have obamacare. you cannot do that. you are being very disingenuous with the viewers to even suggest that. >> moving on to our next question. the negotiations over the reauthorization of the federal farm bill have been put on hold. critics say too much supports food stamps. do you support the farm bill in its current form? >> absolutely. the nature of congress is we're supposed to compromise. the senate already passed a bipartisan farm bill before we left. when it came time for the house to do its job and come up with a bill to split the difference,
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instead, the leadership in washington sent us back to our districts. if our farmers did their jobs the way congress is doing their jobs, we would all starve. our farmers want certainty, they want to know if the programs will continue. you split the difference, that is what is wrong with congress. the farmers cannot believe that congress did not do its job. i would go back today if we had a chance to vote on the farm bill. not a short-term extension, but give them five years. they need five years to be able to plan. >> she consistently misstates my position. we need a short-term solution so we can continue. there is no way the farm bill is going to be passed. what i am saying, let's get something so there is something
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moving forward. next year, in the new congress, let's get it down in five years. we need something we can have by december 31. at the beginning of the year -- there is a big difference. as your congressman, i will be in the majority. she is not in the room where decisions are being made. ladies and gentlemen, that is a huge difference. >> is there a problem with this spending bill as it is currently designed? some republicans have issues. >> i have issues with the fact that we have food stamps, which are 80% of the cost. it is a $500 billion bill.
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we have more americans on food stamps on average because president obama and his policies cannot get the economy moving. they should not be put together. we do need to reduce food stamps. we get people working and growing our economy. president obama has failed this country. the unemployment will not go away. >> i think we do need a brief rebuttal. >> you are saying you're willing to go to congress and hold the farmers hostage because of the inability to compromise. there is an answer and you split the difference between the house bill and the senate bill. our farmers deserve better than this. our national security is linked to our food security. you think i am an ineffective
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legislator. i encourage you to go up to the niagara falls airbase and talk to the first person you see. >> they say you are not. >> ok. this question is on taxes. i believe you have signed grover norquist's pledge not to raise taxes. correct? while you were a county executive, you did go to court to raise property taxes. you changed your thinking on taxes? or do you see some type of difference between local taxes? >> my role as county executive is very different. as county executive, i am required to have a balanced budget. i took over a county that was effectively bankrupt. when you looked at the fact we had no money in the bank,
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medicaid goes up $6 million a year, we have no control over pensions, no control over the amount of sales tax, no control over the value of our real estate. a county executive has to manage playing the cards he is dealt. and being honest with the voters. we're going to have a very small property tax increase to get us going in the right direction. the next three years, no tax increases. i had a four-year plan that was approved by the fiscal stability authority. i took over a mess and i had to be honest with the tax payers. i guess i am out of time. >> is there a situation you could see where you get to washington and look at the situation when it comes to deficit reduction and be able
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to say, the reality here is that tax increases have to be a part of this discussion? >> tax increases do not have to be part of the discussion. we need for small business and for our crop farmers and dairy farmers to have more money to invest his. you need tax increases under the obama plan because the economy is not going to grow. we need to grow the economy. mitt romney will get it done. i'll be working with mitt romney to get this economy moving. we have a spending problem in washington. it is not a revenue problem. >> where do i begin? you cannot wave a magic wand. i supported a balanced budget amendment. what i won't do is blow another trillion dollar hole in that deficit by allowing tax breaks
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for millionaires and billionaires to continue. when you sign that pledge -- we're already paying for that legacy. i have a problem with that. >> here is my pledge. i am going to work in the majority in congress to make sure 100% of the time i am standing for small business. 100 percent of the time i am standing with seniors. 100% of the time i am fighting for our children and grandchildren.
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$16 trillion in debt is caused by president obama over the last four years and you support his policies. they do not work. the economy is stalled. the economy is not going where it needs to go. $16 trillion in debt is what is strangling us today. >> a quick response to that? >> i guess the amnesia is spreading over the country. i do not think it helps to look back, let's look forward. cutting taxes on millionaires and billionaires at the same time you are ok with privatizing medicare. you have demonstrated you want to raise taxes before. i think this is very confusing
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for the voters. you want to do it on county taxpayers. this is part of your record. >> i have never called for privatizing medicare. i have never supported anything in the ryan budget. that is what you do, you distort what people say to suit your own needs. what i said was that the ryan budget did not go far enough in getting us a balanced budget. we need a balanced budget. i am the only one here who has not voted to cut medicare for current seniors, including my 85-year-old mom. >> the largest part of the ryan budget cuts are to medicare. when you said it does not go far enough, how far will you go? where are you going to find the money? where does it come from? times are tough.
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i am the fiscal conservative standing on the stage. >> it is time for what we call cross-examination. the candidates ask each other a question. mr. collins has the opportunity to go first. >> we are hearing that you are defending president obama and his failed policies that have created $6 trillion of new debt. with all the problems you seem to have with obamacare and all the problems you have with obama and with the debt, why are you still supporting president obama for reelection so we can have four more years of failed policies with the unemployment stuck at 8%?
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i think the viewers would like to hear why it is you are supporting president obama. >> i do not believe either party has all the right answers. i will not say i only support one party. there are concepts and policies that i support with president obama. i voted for middle-class tax cuts, they're no longer held hostage. you were willing to join the majority and hold them hostage. i want a farm bill passed. i want to stand with our seniors and make sure we do not balance the budget on their backs. i believe mitt romney has ideas as well. i am not so my-way-or-the- highway that i cannot look at people objectively and go with what i think is best. what is best for this district? that is how i have operated for the last 16 months. >> you are voting for president obama?
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>> i have said that before. >> ok. there is another question on the floor. >> i joined mitt romney, president obama, and many others in full disclosure because i believed personal tax returns, putting them online -- you have made my personal finances part of this campaign. i am open and transparent. you did not think the voters of this district could understand -- too complex for them to absorb the 25 pages of tax returns. why do think you should be held to a lower standard than the others just because you do not think the voters can understand your taxes?
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what are you trying to hide? >> there is something called a personal financial disclosure. it showed that you and your husband were public-sector millionaires. i filled out that form in full compliance. i released three years of my tax returns. it was published and i paid 30% of my income in taxes. i have no loopholes, no foreign accounts. my small business is where i make my money. you make your money working for the government. my income is earned by having companies that employ workers in this area. the bigger question, you have something hidden in your two secret family trusts that you will not disclose. what is in those two secret family trusts? i have the feeling it may be something you do not want the voters to know.
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>> you've got to be kidding me. you are the one who refuses to put your personal taxes online because you said the voters were not smart enough to understand it. i think that is pretty derogatory. mitt romney has a 300-page tax return. we all filled out that financial disclosure form, big deal. why won't you? >> i have disclosed all of my assets. a lot of the yours are in china, my assets are not. my assets are here in the community, where i have a dozen companies. i did disclose my personal tax rate. there is nothing there to hide. i will not release my company's individual income and put my companies in jeopardy by
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providing my competitors information they would like to have. i am not going to disclose my partners income as private citizens. i made that clear many times. my income was disclosed, my tax rate was disclosed. you did not disclose what is in the secret family trusts. >> we're going to have to move on in the questioning. this question is for mr. collins. regarding -- the governor and the city of buffalo and niagara falls are taking an aggressive stance. is it wise to take such an aggressive approach to an important business partner? should you be elected, is there anything you can do to mediate? >> i would like to go back to our relationship. they stood with us in the war of 1812 when other indian nations did not. we owe a debt of gratitude that
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a lot of americans have forgotten. as a sovereign nation, they have certain rights. there is a dispute with albany. it is not a federal dispute. i focus on the history of us as proud americans partly because of the work that was done by the nations standing with us, celebrating the war of 1812. we need to remember that these were our allies, to remember the important role they played in our freedom today. i speak about that everywhere i go. thank you for standing with us in the war of 1812. >> that was a nice history lesson. the question is, what is going
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on now? there are obligations, commitments made to our state. the city of buffalo is hurting. niagara falls was counting on the revenues from the casino. we need to get people in the room together and work it out to make sure our cities who are counting on this money, the city of niagara falls has great potential. they have not been receiving the revenues they are expected. we need people to get in the room and work with the nation and resolve this as soon as possible. >> do you have to put pressure on them at the same time? >> i respect the 10th amendment. local decisions made at the state level are better than washington. i understand that as a representative, i should not be
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meddling in state affairs. i have my opinions. she believes it is washington that always has the right answer. big government coming out of washington. that is the big difference. this is a state issue. i will respect that this is a state issue. i respect and honor the 10th amendment. >> isn't a state issue? >> yes, it is a state issue. when you are a leader in congress, sometimes you are in a position to bring people together. i should not walk away and say, i do not care about the communities i represent. this is hurting them and we need to resolve this. it is not what you do sitting in the capitol. when a small town needs a grocery store, we get involved. i do not wash my hands and say,
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that is not in my job description. >> we're going to move on to the ryan budget. it has been a huge issue. you have repeatedly sought to tie your opponent to the ryan budget. given the fact that mitt romney has outlined plans that are substantially different from what ryan has proposed twice, is this a fair line of attack? >> still trying to break the promise they made to the seniors in 1965. money should be waiting for us when we retire. it will jeopardize the promise we made to our seniors.
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i understand why they are back pedaling. thank god we had an election last year to point a spotlight on what it would do to our seniors. the same budget, continued tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. he says the ryan budget does not go far enough. >> he has noted that it is no longer on the table, is it fair to continue linking him to something that is no longer out there?
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>> mitt romney doesn't write legislation. there is a separation of power. congress writes legislation. twice, the budget came before us. we're going to have the ryan budget before us again next spring. mitt romney does not write legislation for the house of representatives. regardless of what he says, congress writes legislation. >> let's be clear. there is only one candidate who is not supporting cuts in medicare for current seniors. $716 billion of cuts for current seniors, including my 85-year-old mom. they have already started cutting payments to providers.
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they will take $130 a month for current seniors. she broke her promise a year ago. she said "i will never touch medicare." you broke that promise. you broke that promise to my mom. you broke that promise to every senior in this district when you voted to support obamacare. >> to be clear, had you been in congress, you would have $716 bn of cuts. >> it just to clear things up, if you had been in congress -- >> right now, the house of representatives is gathering for a pro forma session. representatives are campaigning in their home districts for elections.
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[captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. the chair lays before the house a communication from the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's room, washington, d.c., october 30, 2012. i hereby appoint the honorable steven c. latourette to act as speaker pro tempore on this
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day. signed, john a. boehner, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the chair lays before the house a communication from the sergeant at arms. the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, as you are aware, the time previously appointed for the next meeting of the house is 10:00 a.m. on tuesday, october 30, 2012. this is to notify you pursuant to clause 12-c of rule 1, of an imminent impairment of the place of reconvening at that time. the impairment is due to the weather. signed respectfully, paul d. irving, sergeant at arms. the speaker pro tempore: under clause 12-c of rule 1, the speakers notified members accordingly. the prayer today will be offered by our guest chaplain of the washington theological union here in washington, d.c. the chaplain: lord, we pray for the victims of hurricane sandy. especially those who lost their
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lives, the displaced elderly, those with children >> the millions -- those children, the millions without power and we pray in the past we responded generously those who are in need those will be needed to restore calm. may we imitate your loving heart in this moment of disaster and come together as one, the divine oneness that has the power to overcome all. amen. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-a of house resolution 788, the proceedings of the last day's proceeds is approved. the chair will lead the house in the i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which
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it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. pursuant to clause 4 of rule 1, the following enrolled bill was signed by speaker pro tempore harris on tuesday, october 9, 2012. the clerk: senate 3624, to amend section 3-1311 of title 49, united states code, to permit states to issue commercial drivers licenses to members of the armed forces whose duty station is located in the state. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will ask all present to rise and observe a moment of silence in remembrance of those who have perished in hurricane sandy and to remember those as well who continue to suffer. the speaker pro tempore:
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pursuant to section 3-b of house resolution 788, the house stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on friday, november 2, 2012. libya. we do know that ambassador stevens made more attempts to -- do you believe the obama administration mishandled this leading up to the attack and what could have been done better and should be done better going forward? >> absolutely it was mishandled
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and to learn there were cries for help, literally people asking for additional support and that they went unanswered, that's unacceptable. when we get back to washington, we will conduct oversight hearings and make sure our ambassadors and the conflicts are protected. we have to make sure they have what they need and the republican leadership at $300 million from embassy security. we need to make sure we have the resources and protection they need. i don't think there is any other explanation other than it was not handled properly -- was not handled properly and i believe the congress's oversight capacity needs to make sure this doesn't happen again. it is challenging many going to these other countries but on the anniversary of my/loan, we should have been on heightened security. i would make sure those abroad to support our interest and other countries and try to establish peace, that we have their back. >> ladies and gentleman,
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finally, tonight, we agree. president obama did a terrible job leading up to that, not providing the security that should have been provided, ignoring what turns out to be reports of a terrorist attack and going all over the place. so we agree that the president failed the american public when it came to security, resulting in the death of a u.s. ambassador for the first time in 30 years. it should not have happened. but i found it a little distressing when the president had the secretary of state, hillary clinton, stand up and take the blame. a leader takes the blame. someone should be held accountable. it should be president obama. i really was disturbed when he had hillary clinton to stand up and take the blame. that is not what a leader does. >> congressman, do you want to respond to that? >> we must be watching different
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debates. i remember seeing the president of the united states take responsibility for those actions. >> we will move on to the next question for mr. collins. a superpac @ was released claiming you fired workers at buffalo china. you have criticized this ad calling it falls. do you hold your opponent responsible or can can it be held responsible for superpac ads made on their opponents have? >> she is running wild with this allegation that i fired 150 workers when in fact i say 245 jobs, that she would rather see go to china. i was lauded for what i did stepping into that in 2004 and every media outlet, channel 13, when a man of rochester said they would not run the ad
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because it so egregious. she has crossed the line between misrepresentation and distortion and lying. that is an important distinction. but it's not just a superpac ad -- she is running an ad saying i fired at 150 workers. it should not be up. but desperate politicians will do desperate things. she has gone too far on this. i don't know of any other case in recent history where an ad is so egregious that it has been polled and is not running on the air, which is what happens when we demanded they take the ad down. this is an unprecedented situation which is how egregious that ad was and she is making the same false allegations in her at. she needs to take her at down as well. >> let's look at the facts. according to the buffalo news, march 15, 2004, he says buffalo
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china had a 325 employees on friday and monday morning, they reopen, a different name, same parking lot, but chris collins and his management team is now in charge. people think they have done these back checks and god bless them, but go to someone who works for you and the authority, i have a problem with that. the fact is you can't talk about semantics and they are complicated for people to understand. people are smart. they can do the math. 325 on friday, that company lost even more jobs since you have been in charge. but that the whole different issue. you say i want to ship those jobs overseas. you are the only one who had a chance to move manufacturing
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right here in america. check the record. >> 32nd. >> let me tell you what i have spent my life doing in reedy the names of the company that i have inspected and save -- niagara electric, need supply, frontier supply, electric motor supply company, bio clinical partners, start son, i a t solar -- all companies destined to fold that are alive today because i took the risk as an entrepreneur, saving 600 jobs for families in western new york. mrs. hochul, you have never created a job. never sign the front of a paycheck. yet only sign to the back. you and your husband make $350,000 working for the federal government. i'm proud of my private sector job creation, including micro
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ceramics. no jobs without me, to under 45 jobs saved eight and half years ago. >> 30 seconds. >> for someone who can't stand government, you're distain for it is so apparent. you have taken in contracts, loans and guarantees, $20 million of public sector dollars. you give a new definition to the definition -- you tech $2.1 million of taxpayer money to make that deal. your very good at what you do. you are very good at making profits. god bless you. i don't begrudge you a bit of that. but how that translates into being able to make a decision to help america's families and our farmers, i don't see the connection. >> clearly misses hochul has never created a job. they have not turned around a
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failed company in the third poorest county in the night states. many of my companies are in empire zones and they have incentives to hire people where there are no jobs, or the economy is very bad. i make no apologies for creating 600 jobs for 600 families in western new york. i'm proud of my record and we do the best we can all the time to make sure these companies are going to be successful. that is what i have spent my career doing, not on the government payroll, like you. >> we're going to move to everyone's favorite part of this debate, anyway. the lightning round. i'm going to ask you first, congresswoman -- have you had any greek yogurt this week? >> yes. >> no. >> have you ever been offered by the irs? >> note. >> yes. >> do you agree with the ruling that [indiscernible] >> [laughter]
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>> who could argue with the court's? yes. >> car at the chicken wings better than the bars? >> i like them both. >> come on. >> have you ever tailgate at a buffalo bill's game? >> yes. >> many times. >> is carl pawlenty no a good advocate for new york? >> no. >> yes. >> avia for milk the cow? >> my daughter's cal. >> have you ever seen the anti- fracking documentary? >> no. n o. >> would you support building a nuclear power plant in the district? >> have you received a speeding ticket in the last five years?
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>> no. >> no. >> [indiscernible] >> agreement -- look at that. it is time now for closing statements. mr. collins will go for spray >> ladies and gentleman, it has been a lively debate. if you want a member of congress who has always worked for government and get a government paycheck and supports barack obama and nancy pelosi posset policies, more taxes, then mrs. hochul is your candidate. if you want a member of congress to spend his life creating jobs in this district, someone who believes in smaller government, personal accountability, fiscal discipline, serving taxpayers and respecting future generations, i respectfully ask for your vote.
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to go to washington as your member of congress and help restore the promise of the american dream for our children and grandchildren. thank you for tuning in tonight. i hope the of the great evening and god bless america. >> thank you for joining in this important conversation and for hosting us tonight. all across new york, people are watching this and moms and dads are doing homework at the table. small-business owners are closing on a busy day and our farmers are looking forward to an early start tomorrow and senior citizens are looking pictures of their kids and grandkids. what do they have in common? they want their families to live the american dream and other families are safe and secure. you have heard a lot here tonight -- crystal clear differences between myself and chris collins. not just to we stand with but our approach to the job. i know neither party has all the right answers and that's why i'm willing to reach across the aisle and work with republicans and democrats to solve our
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problem. we can and will meet the challenges of this great nation. you have a representative in congress who is a fighter who's got your back. i will continue to fight for the middle-class, our veterans and small-business owners. i respectfully ask for your vote as i continue fighting for you. >> i would like to thank you for participating this evening. that does conclude our debate. it was a very lively indeed. it is november 6 and we encourage everyone to get out there and vote. >> you can watch in buffalo on channel 1009. thank you for watching and have a good night. >> i would like to ask a question similar to that asked of the vice-presidential candidate. as a catholic, how has your view
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on abortion issue by your religion? i am in the past billion. i guess i can't answer that question. my husband is a catholic, i'm an episcopalian. my grandchildren have been baptized in the catholic church and we have been raised as catholics, but i would be happy to talk about my view on abortion. my view is it should be safe, legal, and rare. >> here is a valid point that is constructive and is a difference that is not manufactured -- we have babies in america and in iowa being aborted simply because they are little baby girls because the mother want a boy instead of a girl. we have evidence coming in on that from the asian community. of legislation prohibiting sex- selecting abortion.
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i think it matters and i think it matters to the liberals being aborted. >> follow races from across the country on c-span, c-span radio and on line. >> the house and senate came in a short time ago for a brief pro forma session but no legislative business. aside from that, the federal government remained closed today. hurricane sandy blue through overnight. president obama will travel to new jersey to view damage from the storm along with new jersey gov. chris christie. he visited the red cross headquarters today, saying the storm is not over yet and there are risks of flooding. he called it heartbreaking for the nation. mitt romney spoke today in ohio and wisconsin. in the same gym where he had
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previously scheduled a campaign rally. he will continue formal campaigning tomorrow. here is a look at our prime-time schedule, starting at 8:00 eastern, a look at the current and future state of investigating -- investigative reporting. then onto purrs and online ceo's talk about crowd sourcing which aims to help people manufacture and distribute products without needing a physical plant. then poverty in america and the role government plays helping to stop it. >> these are the stories your textbooks left out. they're great stories about real people in american history. very important moment that we don't know about.
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the first pilgrims in america came 50 years before the mayflower. there were french. they made one and had the good sense to land in florida and some of december and massachusetts, but then they were wiped out by the spanish. but we left the story of the textbook. then there was a woman taken captive by the indians and in the middle of the night, she killed her captors, realized she couldn't get out of hunting by scalping indians and made her way back to boston where she was a heroine. they erected a statue to her, the first statue to and the american woman which showed her with a hatchet in one hand and scallops in the other. >> kenneth davis is our guest on sunday, taking your calls and e- mail. he is the best selling author of the "don't know much" series. watch on c-span2.
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>> now a conference from detroit focusing on technology and entrepreneurship in u.s. urban areas throughout the country. it was a conference in mid september at wayne state university. this part of the conference's two hours. >> i'm going to turn it over to you. >> rock on. >> thank you for getting us started and thank you for being here. it is exciting to finally have this thing under way. we have been working on it for an awfully long time. what we do is up to now, a retreat-like invitation only leaders thing in the desert and we really wanted to get our message out in the broader community, particularly in the united states where we think there are some messages that are not sufficiently understood. i hope that is what you will be hearing throughout the day today. the messages at this event are
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focused on four issues -- u.s. competitiveness, the future of jobs, economic growth, which is tied to the first to, and the revival of our cities with detroit as a case study #one. we're very proud to be in detroit because we see it as a great city with incredible potential and we what love to have helped participating in that dialogue to move that process forward faster. what we really want to do is to change the dialogue generally about how the world and country thinks about technology. we really don't think it is understood or appreciated how rapidly the entire landscape is shifting. we know apple is a daunting the next iphone. that's just the most obvious example. things continue to move an astonishing speed and there are developments everywhere you look and we don't think leaders generally get that.
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i'm going to give you a couple of quick housekeeping things. for one thing, there is app -- it has all of the programs in real time. please use it. everything here is on the record. we want to hear your voice from the audience. have to microphones on either side. you don't have to just ask a question, you can make a comment, but keep it brief. we are revealing and live streaming everything. thanks to live stream for doing that. please use the twitter ash tagged literally. now we're going straight into our first session. please come out and join me.
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we are talking about entrepreneurship and american relevance. it's one of the key things that outlines this event. i would like to wind it more tightly with this session and that is why we have these two guys to start the day. but of the great honor to present the american economy not only had a great impact with aol but now with revolution is funding and helping develop a whole range of countries in a variety of industries. meanwhile, living in the washington area has gotten incredibly involved in trying to help the u.s. government think more intelligently about competitiveness and entrepreneurship. joshed runs detroit venture partners. if you are from detroit, you certainly know that. he's a supporter of this event, which we are grateful for. it is symbolic of the
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incredible new energy developing in detroit. he created a company in 1999 here in detroit that has been operating all the time. two weeks ago, it sold for a nice exit. here's the story of a company that came from here, went all the way -- he's done well with that. in the meantime, he has invested in a ton of other companies. i want to start by asking you, when i told you about this, you wanted to be part of it. why did you think this was a good idea? >> i didn't think it was good, i thought was a great idea. i appreciate the fact you're willing to do it and shine a spotlight on detroit. it's not just about detroit, it's the story of entrepreneurship in america and how it is spread more broadly through the nation than we realize. tremendous companies there and it's something we're all proud
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of. there are a lot of company -- a lot of companies across the nation that don't get attention. but in detroit, there is something special because in many ways, detroit was silicon valley decades ago. this was at that time that most fast-growing companies in the world, it was obviously the automobile industry. it has had a tough few decades. the population has dropped in half from its peak which is startling, but it is fighting its way back. the commercial that aired of bought -- by clint eastwood. i think he's better with that. the story of detroit biding its way back and not giving up. folks like josh you are investing in companies here, it is very important. it is the detroit story but more
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broadly, the life of the refs and the region's emerging as entrepreneurial hotbeds. if we are going to get unemployment down, no one is happy with 82% growth rate or -- we did not become the leading economy by accident. was the work of entrepreneurs throughout the nation and we need to continue to build on that momentum and recognize it is the secret sauce that built the american economy and we have to double down on entrepreneurship. in detroit, cleveland, a lot of other places, they are becoming interesting emerging markets. >> i love that you just said that. you are the ultimate symbol in the support for entrepreneurship. do you think that message is understood in detroit?
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do you think people get that here? >> i just want to thank you for bringing this to detroit. this is a town that on the rise and you coming here shining natural -- shining national attention on it is making a big difference. thank you for your unwavering support, specifically here in detroit. [applause] here in detroit, it's weird. you can bump into someone and they say i hate everything going on. then you bump into someone else and they don't have any sense of it all. that's why this and the continued support of the media, we have to scream from the mountaintops that detroit is open for business. we still have a lot of work to do to get that message heard on a global basis. callede's company is
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evolution. jack dorsey will be here giving a speech -- was of the day before yesterday in san francisco -- talking about the need to be a revolutionary. that's the way founders and entrepreneurs need to think of themselves. i read about it in regard to mark zuckerberg. the founders are the most impact all of our era. but that implies an urgency that i wonder if it is widely enough understood. any thoughts on that? what you guys are doing is a truly revolutionary. people ought to be really scared of it or be really getting on board fast. >> the entrepreneurs -- there are two types. some are looking to create an interesting product or service and have somewhat modest
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ambitions. that is fine. the other which are really trying to change the world and trying to do something which is more long-term built to last kind of thing. they have to have passion and perseverance. when we started a a well 27 years ago, only 3% of people were on line and were on an outbreak -- were on line one hour a week. we stuck with it and it took us a decade before we got traction. then that mid-90s thing took off and it was like an overnight sensation. we were at it for more than a decade. that's the perspective of entrepreneurs need to bring. education, health care, energy, it hasn't been disrupted that much.
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getting everybody to believe it was important to get connected on multiple devices, that has been accomplished. the second internet revolution is how you use the ubiquity to transform other important aspects of life. that is for the great entrepreneurs are focusing and we do need to support them as a nation because that's the industry that will drive the future. the midwest, the industrial revolution, the media revolution, the next wave is where we need to be positioned as a nation and we need to recognize these entrepreneurs are american heroes because they are the ones taking the risk starting these companies and make sure we have a robust, growing economy in what is a much more competitive global world.
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>> you have a very positive way you talk about entrepreneurship. he talked about creativity and roll of creativity's in companies. do you think of yourself as a revolutionary? >> i think of myself as a destructor. many of us have that capacity if we are willing to go for it. detroit was built on the spirit of destruction. folks like henry ford put us on the map that we were the paris of the midwest. then we stopped doing that and we built these stifling bureaucracy and became immersed in finger-pointing and blame and our city crumbled. today, we are in the midst of a new revolution where entrepreneurship is alive and well. this is the time to make it happen. what the digital age has taught us is you don't need a silicon valley zip code to be successful. are people taking notice? people are taking notice with a lot of talk happening right now and we are doing our best, but
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where people really take notice is when we deliver results. when previously vacant buildings are filled to the gills with bustling tech companies and people reinvest in their communities. that is when people put a stake and the ground and we will make it happen. >> the most important thing around entrepreneurship and the economy is a talent. that is one reason washington is fighting a battle to build bipartisan support, making sure the best and brightest of just come here for education and are forced to be kicked out, but they are able to stay here and our job creators and job makers, not job takers. but the battle also happen that a regional level. how do you get the people who didn't leave detroit to come back and believe now is the time to come back because there is a burgeoning, bustling entrepreneurial ecosystem. maybe they went to school around
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here and there are a lot of great universities but they felt they had to leave because they didn't see the path forward for themselves and their families? that's why this work is so important to create that sense of possibility and momentum that it talent back and capital flowing and then you get this network effect, which is when these are regions really take off. they try to build up the region but ultimately, it comes down to an entrepreneur who says i'm going to take on this challenge and rally folks within the community and connect them to resources outside the community and let's get moving. this is our moment and this is our time. >> i couldn't agree more. but there's a lot of scales of that. i don't mean to keep hammering on this issue of urgency but i will because i feel strongly. i travel to china a lot.
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another result that is happening is they understand the role of the city better than we do. they are investing methodically in infrastructure, and financial support and education. i fear the kind of results we will start to find on the lakeside in places like detroit is the cumulative effect of all that investment in places like china, taiwan and malaysia and a lot of other countries is going to put us behind the curve by the time we realize those results. >> i do not worry about it. the only thing you can do is play to your strength. if we try to compete and be the beijing of the u.s. or the silicon valley of the midwest, we have to be the detroit of detroit. we have to stop apologizing for
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and talkren't not about what we are. >> this place is amazing. >> we have beautiful buildings waiting to be filled up. we have wonderful hospitals, water, a world-class airport, all of these assets. we have to shed our skin like a snake does. they go on and they can grow again. we have to get out of the trap of apologizing for yesterday and complaining about past. it's time to move forward and focus on great companies. >> one that i do worry about is the global battle on of entrepreneurship. if you look at the history of america, it's the history of entrepreneurs in america. other people figure this out. part of the secret sauce is this of entrepreneurship and pioneering spirit. there are many companies being aggressive trying to make sure people move from easy incentives
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around capital and make basic research. we don't double down as a nation, there is a risk. the good news, as we sit right now, we are the most entrepreneurial nation in the world. the bad news is the rise of the rest globally and people are getting much more aggressive. there is also a rise of the west -- rise of the rest around the united states and read in here like detroit to really get their act together. they can really emerge with a robust and growing economy around and entrepreneurship and it is important on the technology side even though this is about technology. there are technology companies and there are other industries but they have a technology overlay as well. in some ways, everything is a technology company. we don't want to just focus on
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facebook or a company like chipotle which started out with a breed of and it is now worth tens of millions of dollars. it's possible because of a good burrito and technology. walmart started for -- started with one store in arkansas and now they are the largest retailer in the world. some companies are technology companies but there are many other companies that have this technology overlay and it is important to recognize. invented because of the juxtaposition and design -- desire to do things in nimble ways is reopening that opportunity. if you have comments or questions, please come to the microphone.
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>> one of the company's i love is zara. this guy is now the third richest man in the world. he connects it to these workshops where these women were taking knock off patterns and producing them so fast that they were able to knock them off so fast. it is taking retail and fashion and clothing and upending it. >> the thing we need to realize this technology is an enabler. they use that technology to become successful. it is important when you look at one of the things they've done is they empowered their people. someone sees a trend in san francisco, they have to jump on it. they can act. what we need to focus on it a couple of key things. we need a robust, strong
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manufacturing base but we have to diversify. one of the reasons we suffered so greatly was the entire region was tied to one thing. the second thing is these are companies that are capital efficient and can scale quickly. it can happen now in a couple of months. the community should rally behind entrepreneurship, specifically tech entrepreneur ship because it can make a big impact so quickly. >> this is incredible for someplace like detroit. the tools are accessible to anybody. with things like amazon web services, anybody anywhere can build something with incredible scale and you don't need the traditional location-based
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advantages or financial advantage. one thing we're going to talk about is crowd funding. i would love to hear either or both of you talk about this new landscapes crowd funding makes possible. >> it is easier and cheaper to get companies started than it used to be. that enabled a lot of entrepreneurs who would not otherwise be able to do things. it doesn't take much talent or capital, particularly on the internet. nobody knows or cares where the diners are or servers, they just look at something they find value in. crowd funding for those who did not understand it is using the internet to aggregate small investments from all lot of people to be able to start a company or grow a company. this legislation basically illegalized crowd funding.
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a law was passed in 1973 that said you could only invest in companies if you are rich and you can't if you are not an accredited investor. for individual investors who want to invest, it democratizes that and also democratizes capital for entrepreneurs. it's probably not that successful in silicon valley because there is tons of money in venture-capital. it is important in places like detroit where there is not that much capital. you will have the ability to basically put your business on- line and people can make an investment up to $10,000 each. people can raise up to $1 million through this mechanism and that will be the difference for thousands of entrepreneurs. i think it is an enormous
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opportunity for underserved regions in underserved sectors. if you are focused on social media, are plenty of people. if you have some product you are trying to develop, crowd funding is going to be very helpful. >> the thing about detroit, is if we could have 500 of the real tech companies that were hugely successful, no one would say no thanks. why are we there? because there is friction. you have to have great ideas, which we have plenty in this region, great talent, which we have plenty in this region and that capital, which we have historically been restricted on. the idea of allowing capital to flow more freely and -- that would enable on a per ship. a culture of risk-taking -- in
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detroit, if you fail it's a negative thing. in silicon valley -- in silicon valley, it is a badge of honor. when someone stumbles, it's learning opportunity. >> i'm glad you said that. please identify yourself. >> mark bennett. good morning. i want to thank you for a tremendous program. one thing i witnessed as an entrepreneur and working with on keepers is a tremendous amount of intellectual capital walked up with in our corporate entities. huge opportunities for innovation. there has been some movement by major companies. how do we pull more of that out? those are market-driven opportunities with much higher success rates than pure start- ups that are theoretically driven. >> who are you? >> i am mark bennett. >> there are a lot of great people and a lot of great large
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organizations and a lot of great people in government. a lot of that is focused on next generation help. so far, they have chosen to stay in what they perceive to be a safe world in a company that has been around for awhile. you could find a job and you would stay there for your career. that has changed dramatically because people are moving around a little more and people have recognized it is not necessarily safe to join that fortune 500 company. the idea you can be with gm or ford for your entire career, people realize it is not as clear and they're open to more open opportunities.
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some of it is getting the people have that innovative spirit to recognize now there is an opportunity with the company is developing here. maybe it is time to jump ship. but more importantly, how do you get the folks who left to try to come back here? i'm sure there are tens of thousands of people born and raised here or who went to one of the universities who would love to come back. they decided to leave. it really is all about talent. it is the idea plus capital, but the most important ingredient is talent. >> the most important agreement is training and education. another community that is of great interest and concern is not only the people working at these great companies but the people who are not working at all. detroit has way too many of
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them. i'm curious with the processes for the marginalized and here to for disenfranchised population of detroit. a quick comment from you -- what do you think is going to happen and what do you think should happen? >> if the economy goes, -- if the economy grows, the saying is all rise with the tide. perhaps we are not going to become a software engineer but as the local economy grows, it will create additional jobs. i'm optimistic it will be a spark but i hope will go beyond a cool, funky, painted a offices and get into education where it starts. there is a huge challenge in detroit public schools as there is throughout the country and we need to start retooling our educational system because it that outdated system.
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meanwhile, every child gets left behind. i think it is a big problem. if we could create an economy that is bustling and hustling, it's going to make an impact on all of us. >> this issue around education and skills for the future, which some -- retooling the higher systems to do a better job of growing our own talent. retraining people had a different career, but as i mentioned, i know it is controversial, but the issue of immigration is important. half the people coming to our university to get a ph.d. and masters are from other countries that once they get them, we essentially kick them out of the country and force them to go home. we should ask them to stay and make it easy for them to stay here. these are the people who do
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create the googles and the fords and we should try to make sure we win the battle for telex globally. for all lot of reasons, i understand the arguments on both sides, we are going to look back at some day and say we really blew this. now is the time to make sure we are doing everything we can for the folks who will be creating the future companies in the united states. >> i can't think of a better way to have launched this conference that to have you guys on stage. thank you for being here. i hope to have you on again very soon. [applause] >> thank you. >> go detroit. we are going to go into some city staff which is a big part of the seam along with on a per share.
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i'm going to turn over the stage to the director of the sensible city lab at mit. he is going to talk about a provocative topic -- the city as technology. , now. >> hello. good morning everybody. can i have the slides? i wanted to start with something everybody is talking about these days -- a big data. a data is about this incredible amount of information we produced today. we know from eric schmidt, the information was produced from the beginning of humanity. this is more less what we produced yesterday and today. the definition, big data is
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also, you cannot put it in a spreadsheet. this has big consequences and this is what i would like to talk to you about today. call it big urban data. our cities of the past few years have been a layered with many types of visual information. because of that, the way we understand them and the way we can respond to them is changing dramatically. collecting information from our cities and we can process the information and process it later. in other fields like formula one, think about formula 110 or 15 years ago. if you wanted to win a race, you needed a good car and a good driver. actually today, if you want to win a race, you need something like this -- a system made of
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thousands and thousands of sensors connected to those computers. decisions are made in real time. that's the same that's happening today in our cities. if you are an engineer, you would call this a real-time control system. a system made of two components -- a sensing component -- you collect information and in actuating, you respond to that information. it is it really what every economic system does. we meet each other, we collect information and lucky -- we smell each other and we respond to that information. like every atom out there in our cities is becoming like a sense arrests for serious -- becoming like a
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sensor. the first project was started by looking at something that is a big issue today. it's about the computer. you know every chip and the computer, how it became the machine and came to your desk. the global supply chain is very well understood today. but a few years from now, when we throw away the computer, -- [indiscernible] what we decided to do was what if we put a chip on an electronic plate? if we then [indiscernible] then see what happens to it. we have the first deployment in seattle involving 500 people.
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every possible type of object. following this, we started tracing and tracking. should be a video. 3000 objects, this is seattle. you see that city. you see some of the main fields next to seattle and then, big surprise how far things started to travel. everybody knows a small piece of the chain. we could actually follow the whole chain from the beginning.
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traveling all across the country, look at the trace from the seattle and down back to california for thousands and thousands of kilometers. what did we learn from this project? a couple of things -- if we have all of this information from our cities and what happens to things we throw away, we can probably redesign and optimize such systems and we can reduce a lot of inefficiencies we saw in those things. another thing that is quite important is if you give this information about what happens out there, then you can promote behavioral change. following the project with someone who told us a i used to drink water in plastic bottles and put them outside my door every day.
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following the project so it doesn't disappear and now because of this, i stopped drinking water. there was a third thing we discovered more recently that was quite unexpected. that's when a burglar came to our lab at mit and found a lot of stuff, including all of tags that tell you where we go. here is a video about it. if we could try to fix the sound, it might be useful. anyway, this was on the machine. this is what happened.
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[laughter] [laughter] [laughter] [applause] >> thank you. this was just a quick example
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about censoring. i want to share and other example about when you put more data strings together. this was using sensors on the trash, but imagine you can collect much more information and get to a living city. here is the data from all the networks. using all the digital to vacation and how much energy you are consuming and how it is during special events. you see the formula one racing in singapore. even simple things like taxes and it rained. -- taxis in the rain. in singapore, it's hard to find a taxi in the rain. a taxi in the rain.

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